Spilling the Charms
by missmelly
Summary: Eric visits Bill and Sookie in the hopes of being reunited with Rio. Bill, Sookie, Eric, and Niall are all characters created by Charlaine Harris, and I claim no rights to them.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This story is the third in a trilogy, starting with Better Off Dead and continuing in Fairest of the Fae. This one will make more sense if you read the first two—or at least scan for the important revelations. As ever, thank you so much for reading my fan fiction and writing about it!

* * *

I watched the pounding waves toss spray, slate-colored and glassy under the stars, as the two most gorgeous males on the planet body-surfed in the frigid water. The one who was my beloved husband was dark haired and darker eyed, not a lot taller than me and lean, with broad shoulders, like the farmer he once was. The other, who had once been my lover, was blond and impossibly tall, with the muscles of someone who had honed them doing real hard work, like sailing ships on the ocean and, um… swinging a huge sword in battle.

Both of them were as pale as the late evening clouds, and it didn't take knowing them to see that their competitive spirits were getting the best of them: what had started out as boys romping on the beach was rapidly turning into a daring game of "who is willing to swim out the farthest"? Before the game progressed to dangerous levels, I played the girl card, yelling above the clapping surf, "I'm hungry! Let's go inside!"

I suppose I should start at the beginning and introduce myself: I'm Sookie Compton, and that extra handsome guy galloping out of the waves to sweep me into his arms and plant a big, heated kiss on my mouth is my husband Bill. He's a serious, geeky sort, and he owns and runs an internationally successful software company that keeps him on the go. We've been mates for thirty-plus years and show no sign of tiring of each other, although every once in a while we have a fight that's a real doozey.

The guy swimming away from shore with gigantic, water-wheeling strokes is Eric Northman. We met close to forty years ago now, and he hasn't changed one bit. Still a ferocious businessman, a reckless dare devil, and a pain in the ass, he's visiting us in Cornwall for the first time since we moved here thirty years ago.

Oh yeah, and did I mention that we're all vampires?

I licked salt water from my Bill's face and ran down my fangs for him a little so he knew how wonderful I thought he looked, dripping wet and mostly naked in his baggy swim shorts almost falling off his narrow hips—I was tempted to give them a downward tug and throw him on the sand, but he'd given up his sport and come when I called, so I wanted to do the mature thing and stick with my request.

I wrapped my arms around him tight and looking up into his deep, liquid eyes, I repeated, "I'm hungry. Let's go up to the house."

Bill nodded out to sea, where Eric was just a white splotch riding the waves. I took his meaning without his having to speak—we'd been together so long and had so much of each other's blood that we could practically read each other's minds.

And oh yeah. Did I say I was a telepath?

"Let him play," I said. "He knows where to come when he's ready." Bill laid a long, cool arm across my shoulders, and steered me across the broad beach to the wooden stairs that would take us up the rock cliffs to our house. "You're cold," I tried not to whine—just walking barefoot along the water's edge was enough to make me plan on lighting a fire when we got home. Bill smiled his sweet, almost shy smile that never failed to make me go all gooey inside, and whispered in my ear, "I know a good way to warm up."

I gave Bill a little shove, not enough to make him let me go, and observed, "If we start messing around in the shower, we're gonna have a big Viking weaseling in on us."

Bill scowled and said, "He'd better learn to behave himself or I'll…"

"Thrash him?" I interrupted tartly. "Eric is way too old and too strong to be thrashed by _you,_" I reminded my beloved.

This made Bill scowl harder and duck his head, but he knew what I'd said was true. "And besides," I added to lighten the mood, "if he tries anything, I'll box his ears."

Bill laughed at that one; ever since we'd been together, Bill had discovered laughing, and we did a lot of it. Seems when I was human, my crazy foibles frustrated and worried him, but now, I made him laugh. I consider that a step in the right direction.

I loved our house, I thought as we walked toward it. Made of local stone, it sat on a more secluded part of the road. Bill's office and mine were on the top story, with views of the ocean, and the ground floor housed a large living area. The back portion of the house held our room, my vamp assistant's own private space, and rooms for occasional visitors or clients who'd made arrangements to stay with us when they first arrived. True to our vamp natures, all the bathrooms had big showers and bigger tubs. We were close to the airport—which was especially convenient for Bill—and my human assistant could ride her bike to get to us (she didn't own a car, but I let her use mine for pretty much anything she needed).

Inside, I popped two bottles of syn in the microwave while Bill went to change out of his wet shorts. I lit the fire in the big main room—we always kept one laid at this time of year— and was sitting in front of it with my glass when Bill returned. He looked edible in his usual close-fitting, ultra soft tee shirt and old jeans, his drying hair falling over his sculpted brow. I handed him his warmed bottle—Bill had always preferred his synthetic blood that way—and he plopped down next to me. He'd brought a brush from the bathroom, because my hair was a windblown mess, and I moved in front of him so he could work on the tangles.

"You're taking this well," I said to Bill, then yipped as he tore at a bad snarl. "Or did I speak too soon?"

The "this" which Bill was taking well was Eric's visiting us in England; Bill had never completely made peace with the fact that Eric and I had been blood bonded when I was human. His normally smooth, cool voice was almost icy, "I reserve judgment on that until we learn why he is here."

"I am here to wait for Rio." We both spun around in surprise. Eric had come in so quietly that our vampire hearing didn't detect him. So that was pretty darned quiet.

"Eric!" I snapped, then inhaled hard to still my nerves. He'd snuck up on us on purpose. "Eric," I said more softly, "Can I get you some syn?"

"Yes, please, my lover; I'll have the lust," Eric waggled his eyebrows at me. Some things never change. Bill growled low in his throat, but I ignored him. I said to Eric, "In England, we call synthetic blood 'syn.' There are so many brands now, it's just easier to use the generic… Eric." I started giggling, despite myself (ever since I was turned by Bill—yup, my husband was my daddy—I had become addicted to bad word play; it rose up particularly when I was stressed. Having my ex-lover, who used to be my husband's boss, staying with us to wait for my daughter, who I'd never even seen, was a weensy bit stressful…). "And neither Bill nor I care for you calling me that."

"Which?" Eric taunted.

Bill stood up, his fangs out. Eric popped fang right back. "Oh this is just jolly," I retorted. "I knew I'd regret telling you to come. You've been here all of a day and you're acting all big, bad vampire. I was willing to wait until you wanted to talk"—years of treating psychologically confused vamps had stood me in good stead—"but I think you need to tell us what's going on." I grabbed Bill's hand and yanked him hard enough that he dropped back down beside me.

Eric moved forward into the circle of heat cast by the fire. His gorgeous muscled thighs were right at eye level, damp and salty and dusted with golden hair. (Firelight always does wonderful things to vamp skin, making us look more… oh… erm… tanned, I guess. I didn't miss being tan any longer, but for the first few years I was a vampire, it chapped my ass that I couldn't bake in the sun like I used to do.) I actually gave a moment's thought to leaning over and nipping him, but I stomped hard on that idea.

I stood up and pressed my palm on Eric's marble chest—he rumbled a little at my touch, which made Bill growl again, and I just lost it. "Oh for fuck's sake, you two!" I turned to Bill, "You are over two hundred years old!" Then I whirled on Eric, "And you are, what? Four _times_ that old? You two need to grow up!" I pressed again on Eric's chest, this time with steepled fingertips, pushing him in the direction of his room. "Go cover up all that gorgeousness you've been waiting for me to notice and then we'll talk." Eric actually gave me a tiny smile, glared at Bill, and left the room.

I dropped back down next to Bill and took his face between my hands. I put all my years of loving him in my look and in my voice when I said, "Honey, I love you. I always have. I always will. I am yours"—Bill loved it when I said that to him—"and that isn't going to change just because Eric's here."

Bill sighed and relaxed. I continued, "I would have expected him to act up, but I wouldn't have thought it of you." I actually pouted a bit so he'd lean in and suck my bottom lip between his. I moaned into his mouth to reinforce what I'd been saying. Bill barely moved away from me and muttered, "You wanted to bite him." I looked into Bill's eyes, deep, deeper, and I nodded. "Yes, I did think about it. But I didn't do it. And I won't. Are you going to trust me?"

Bill pulled me to him in a hard embrace that would have hurt me when I was human, and nodded against my hair. I nuzzled into his neck, licking him in the hollow of his collarbone so he'd rumble for me, then I pushed on his shoulders and stood up. I smiled down at him, gazing up at me with adoration and a fair amount of desire. "Syn now or me later?" I asked coyly. He ran out his fangs for me, and I gave him a grin before going to the kitchen to fix Eric's blood.

When Eric returned, he was wearing a black tee shirt and black jeans. His feet were bare and his still-damp hair hung down his back in clumps. I handed him his warmed blood and then gave him my brush; Bill raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything. Eric took a long drink, then studied the bottle. "This is better than that Japanese crap," he said.

"It's German crap," Bill explained, making us all smile.

I waved Eric toward the couch and sat on the opposite end, with my knees pulled up on it so I could face him.

Repeating the question I'd asked him in the car when we'd gotten him from Newquay airport, I said, "Why _are_ you here?"

_88888888_

I had been nervous on the short drive to pick up Eric at his plane. He had flown overnight from Dublin, so he'd be getting off the plane awake, rather than in a coffin. I hadn't seen him in decades, although he called occasionally to talk about nothing much. Bill had actually seen Eric more recently, stopping in New Orleans every so often on business. Apparently, they got along when I wasn't around for them to fight over.

When Eric came off the plane, his blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, his long legs in jeans and boots, wearing a fabulously expensive black leather jacket, I actually salivated. Happy as I am in my marriage, Eric is ridiculously handsome and there had been a time, when we were lovers, that I could have easily fallen for him. But I was forced to blood bond with him against my will—and willful should have been my middle name—and things never got sorted out between us. Some really awful things happened to me and without giving it any thought, I asked Bill to turn me. No regrets there, and it had the added advantage of severing my blood bond with Eric without it causing either of us a lot of pain. I knew it hurt him emotionally though; as happy as he was that I'd become vampire—Eric had told me once I'd be a good one—he withdrew from me and didn't even attend my wedding.

I released Bill's hand, which I'd been gripping way too tight in my anxiety over Eric's arrival, and stepped up to greet him. Going up on my tippy toes to brush my lips against his cheek, I said, "Dynargh," which is the Cornish welcome. Showing off, Eric had responded, "Omlowen dha bos." I should have known he'd speak Cornish. But he looked at me with his incredible blue eyes and a tinge of sadness marked his beautiful mouth. I said with all the honesty I could muster, "I'm glad you came," and was rewarded with that loin-melting smile.

I opened out my arm to take in Bill; the two of them studied each other for a moment, then they both nodded. Eric likely would never forgive Bill for turning me, a privilege I am fairly certain Eric sought. He'd just have to get over that.

Once we were settled in the car, I asked Eric why he'd come. He made some small talk, avoiding the subject of my daughter, and I knew he wasn't ready yet. I knew it had been a very long time since Eric had been on British soil—he had turned Pam here hundreds of years ago—so I figured he'd have some memories crowding in on him. And I'd had several days to calm down and adjust to the news he had delivered in a jumbled phone call: he had found my daughter, who might be attempting to find me, and he wanted to come to England to wait for her with me.

At first, I'd been hysterical. I'd cancelled all my appointments (this is something radical for me—supes do not take kindly to being put off, especially when they have made the momentous decision to seek counseling—and I simply never missed a session), because there was no concentrating on the problems of others once I knew my daughter was alive and perhaps coming to me.

Eric had uploaded an image of her, along with a few bare facts, to Bill's server, and for the first time ever, I had seen her face. That first hour, I had stared and stared, burning her into my memory until I could close my eyes and see her on the inside of my lids. The image was from a bar flyer, announcing a singing engagement, and it showed an exquisite young woman with red-gold hair, green eyes, and freckles. Her coloring was a mystery to me until Bill had pointed out her resemblance to my Gran; I had dug out the album with a few pictures of Gran as a young woman, and sure enough, those two looked a lot alike. I remembered Niall telling me that Gran was so beautiful as a young woman that his son Fintan found her irresistible. Seemed the Stackhouse women attracted supes like magnets.

I'd felt a bit miffed that she had Niall's name, but then, if Niall was going to go to all that trouble to rip her out of my womb, almost killing me in the process, I guess I couldn't expect he'd call her Loriola Stackhouse.

Eric had added some "last known location" bullshit and a rather horny description of her, but I didn't have much else to go on. Eric had told me that Niall might have stolen her _again,_ and I took that to mean that she was in some danger, but I had been too shocked to ask for clarification.

So by the time Eric got off the plane, I was both ready for some answers, and reluctant to push. The idea of having a daughter had been one I'd long ago abandoned; it was a part of my human existence that seemed like a tale someone had told me, not like something I'd lived through. So the idea that I might meet this lovely young woman and come to know her as a part of me was just too alien a concept, even for world-famous psychologist me.

_88888888_

Eric looked at the bottle in his hand like it was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen. When he finally lifted his face to mine, his eyes were glistening in the firelight, welling with tears.

"Sookie," he said brokenly, "I love her."

The silence that filled the room was boundless; my ears actually rang from it. I was overwhelmed with emotions: confusion, joy, irritation, worry, shock, disbelief. My head was spinning and my poor overloaded brain could not form words.

Lord love Bill. He was on his feet and scooping me up in a vampire second. He sat on the couch, holding me in his lap like I was seven years old and someone had just told me my parents were dead from a flash flood. He rocked me softly and rubbed my back in that way he knew always soothed me. He spoke for me, "You are in love with Sookie's daughter?"

Eric nodded, a tear trickling down the side of his perfect nose. My own eyes were dry, and somehow that contrast helped me speak. If Bill hadn't been holding me, I'd have flown at Eric and raked his face. "Exactly how long did you know about my daughter before you decided to _tell_ me? Or did _you_ think to keep her from me too?"

Eric sighed, a soul-wrenching sound. All my training, all my years of repairing the broken psyches of vampires, grabbed me and shook me hard. Here was a being in deep pain, seemingly deeper and fresher than my own. He didn't deserve my ire. I reached along the couch and took his large hand in mine, holding it tight.

"I'm sorry, Eric," I said quietly. "This is obviously as hard for you as it is for me."

The look Eric turned on me was one of pure heartbreak, plain and simple. I recognized it from the way Bill had made me feel when he'd betrayed me; as hard as it had been to forgive him, it had been the best thing I'd ever done. Bill felt my love for him flow out, and he tightened his arms around me, letting me know that he was always there for me.

I squeezed Eric's hand, hoping my gesture would urge him on. Staring at the fire, his eyes the darkest blue, he told me about my daughter.


	2. Chapter 2

When the call came from Sandy Sechrest, I had a million and one things I needed to be doing. But the King wanted me to go to Nevada to handle the transfer of ownership on a bar he was adding to his entertainment empire. It sounded like an easy job, and the idea of driving across country appealed to me: several nights of straight, open road, just me and the Corvette and nothing to slow me down.

The King had just renovated a hotel near the bar to accommodate vampires visiting Las Vegas, and he wanted the bar to attract vampires, and humans who would spend money to be preyed upon. I guess he thought that, since I'd done that with Fangtasia, I'd want to do it again. The idea bored me, but my position has not always been secure with Filipe, so I thought I should be helpful. Even though Fangtasia is not the attraction it once was, I knew cooperating on this job was not optional.

I met your daughter Rio the night I arrived. Frankly, I was surprised how crowded the parking lot was—I was under the impression the bar was failing, but the only parking space was far from the door. There was a girl, sitting in the bed of a pickup truck, playing guitar. She had a very unusual style of playing, finger-picking with one hand and hammering on the neck with the other—it was… other-worldly. And then, she looked at me. She should not have known I was there. She had a hat pulled low over her face and she could not have seen me or heard me—I did not want to be heard—but she looked straight into my eyes and I felt… I felt like I was being glamoured.

I know that sounds crazy. Believe me, it felt crazy. Her eyes absolutely controlled me and I was frightened by the power of it. It was a momentary thing, and when she released me, I knew immediately she was intensely magical. But I was there to do a job, and I went into the bar and more or less dismissed her from my mind.

Later, after a meeting with Sandy, I heard the girl playing on stage. She had a voice that snuck up on me, tangling me in its web. At one point, she actually sang to me, directly to me—how she could see me in the darkened room was a mystery. I was spellbound. When she finished playing, she came straight to me, and introduced herself as Loriola Brigant. I knew, but I didn't want to know. But she told me Niall was her great-grandfather, and there was no doubt.

Sookie, she didn't know anything about you. He had not told her anything; knowing no different, she never asked. She didn't know she had been stolen from you. When I told her, she was terribly angry. She wanted to know about your telepathy. Just like Claudine, she didn't think it was related to your being part fae.

She explained about Niall wanting her so she could be made Fairest—which is a queen of fairies, although more like a bee than a royal sovereign. The Fairest is created… trained… ah, I am not sure I completely understand it myself… to become the mother of new fae people.

Sookie, you are not going to like what I have to tell you, but you have to let me finish. Bill, do you have control of her?

Niall stole your daughter from you because she was to become the fairy queen and he would be the king. The father. Whoa! Settle _down!_ You need to hear this!

Apparently, Niall intended to secure his place in fae history and lineage by having fairy babies with his granddaughter. You will not be surprised to know she found the idea distasteful, so she fled from… ah… wherever it is the fae… hang out.

She was trained from the time she was small to mold and control earth forces; she is very magical. And very sexual. At first, I assumed my attraction to her was entirely magic. But it was quickly obvious she liked me for more than my… adequate skills in bed. She killed a vampire who attacked me; she razed the bar when she found out a human she cared for had been killed by that same vampire; her power is enormous and I don't think I have seen nearly all of it.

When the business deal fell through, the King gave me leave to go home to Louisiana. He was unhappy with me, but he is perhaps even more of a pragmatist than I am. The situation didn't work out the way any of us had hoped, so he was prepared to move on.

Your daughter had told me that Niall would be able to find her—apparently her sexual activity is some sort of GPS—but even knowing that, she wanted to be with me. For whatever the reason, Hlin help me, she wants me. And I have never in my long… _long_ existence wanted _anyone _the way I want her.

Niall thinks he made her for himself—to be used and used up. I feel she was made for me—oh, Sookie, don't cry. I hate it when you cry.

She is perfect: beautiful, strong, powerful, smart, a fighter. She knows no limits, she is fearless. But she has an inner core of tenderness. She makes me laugh; I make _her_ laugh. She will live forever—or at least, a very long time. She accepts me… she knows me… she _gets_ me, as I am. It is so easy to be with her, and I am old. Nothing feels easy any longer. It is such a… relief. But the idea of losing her now, when I've only just found her, is anathema to me.

I have no idea how I can protect her from Niall, but I know I have to try. I also know that by bonding with her, certain protections fall automatically into place: those that owe me fealty will also protect her, and I will always be able to track her—perhaps even to… _otäck!_… fairyland.

I proposed a blood bond to her and she agreed. Readily. Fairly readily. Ah… this is fucked up… she _did_ promise to be mine. I left her to make travel arrangements—I know, I know: stupid—and when I returned for her, she was gone. But once I realized her truck was also gone, and her house no longer recognized me—yes, it is sounding more and more like a fairy tale—I thought it was more likely she'd fled again. Trying to put distance between herself and Niall. Maybe to come to you.

For what, I am not sure.

I am also not sure she can best Niall, but I intend to help her try or die in the attempt.

There is no way to know if he has her already, or if he does not, that she will turn up here. But she'd given me her word and she _will_ make good on it. It could be hours, or weeks… but I believe she will try.

I _have_ to believe she will try.

If it sounds like I am a one-vampire fan club, I am; I would do anything for her. And _that_ is why I am here.


	3. Chapter 3

The next night, just past sunset, I was staring out to sea from the window at my desk. The sinking sun had dyed the low clouds luminous pink and flaming gold; it took away breath that I didn't have. It was soothing to me, and the supes I treated, to have the crashing waves and the moonrises to watch.

After what Eric had told Bill and me, I realized that I might as well renew seeing clients—there was no telling when, or even if my daughter would show up. So I was meeting with my human assistant Tegen and my vamp assistant Corin about scheduling all the appointments I'd cancelled when Eric had first called about my daughter. They were patiently waiting for my focus to return to the business at hand. I sighed and turned from the gorgeous view to Corin, sitting at the computer.

When Corin had made himself known to me, I was worried that having a male around would make Bill fret—in the dictionary listing for "possessiveness" there ought to be a picture of my Bill—but Bill liked Corin. They were both computer geeks, and when we lived in Bon Temps, Bill had missed having other vamps to hang with. He appreciated Corin's intelligence and the ease with which he dealt with supes and humans alike. Me, I just liked his sass. (There were times when I was sure Bill was trying to steal Corin away from me for his own business, and we had once had a big fight about it. I made Bill sorry he'd ever brought up the idea, because he had to pay for the car I flipped over in my anger, and also for the fence that got in the way of the flipping car. Fortunately, our neighbors are vamp tolerant…)

Tegen, on the other hand, was almost too much to handle, but she was so bold, so efficient, and so compassionate that I could forgive her almost anything. She wasn't any taller than me, very fit and muscular—on her days off, she was surfing the swells on Porth Beach or working on her boards—with straight auburn hair and huge, fawn-like brown eyes. She wasn't typically pretty like me, but she moved with such confidence and spoke with such firmness that she was powerfully attractive. She was very protective of me, and she set Bill off when she thought he was being too macho with me; she'd call him on it in a heartbeat. To help her keep her distance and her cool, Tegen had taken to calling him "Mr. Compton." Both she and Corin called me "Doctor" for precisely the reason that I wasn't one.

"So," I said to Corin, "where were we?"

Corin looked at the screen, which reflected in his smoky blue eyes, making them glow. In his slightly nasal voice, he said, "The twins."

"Riiiiight," I lamented, thinking what a hell of way that was to get back to work (the Twins were two Japanese vamps who were recent turns; they had been born identical twins, and one had turned the other. These two were so complicated that even I had my doubts I could help them: they had always been together as humans, but as vamps, they didn't really get along, yet the maker had control over the child and the child was completely resentful of that; the maker and the child wanted to separate, but they couldn't stand to be apart. Working with them was difficult, and at times, dangerous.). "Let's bring them in at the end of the week."

Corin nodded and tapped the screen; Tegan made a note on her handheld. I had just started to ask about the next client when I heard the faintest noise behind me and whirled to see Eric standing in the doorway. He must have showered when he awakened, because he had on only jeans and was toweling his hair. His pose, his wet hair, his fabulous arms and chest, his unbelievable beauty all took me right back to that time so long ago when we had been lovers, Eric's memory erased by witches who wanted to take over his businesses and perhaps drain him to sell his blood. I had loved looking at him, talking to him, and laughing with him during those few lost days. For quite a while after that time, I spent way too many hours wondering if I could have ever loved Eric, and more to the point, could he have ever really loved me. I was snapped from my reverie by Corin almost squealing, "Well helloooo, sailor!"

Did I mention Corin is gay?

Eric scowled and draped the towel over his shoulders, covering up his pecs; was he being shy? I stood up and went to him, lifting up on my toes to kiss his cheek. Holding his elbow, I introduced him to my staff. "Eric Northman, these are my assistants, Tegen Fry," I motioned to her and she inclined her head deeply—I had told them both about Eric and his status across The Pond—then I motioned to Corin, who was already out of his chair and bowing, "and this is Corin Quick. Corin has been very excited to meet you."

Eric raised a skeptical eyebrow at Corin, who blurted, "I've read all about you on Mr. Compton's database. If there were a Who's Who of vampires, you'd be right up there!" Eric snorted derisively, but I could tell he was pleased. He nodded to Tegen, taking her in. Hitting her with the full force of his blue eyes, he said, "I'd like to bodyboard with you." She smiled, sensing he'd like to glamour her—she was pretty savvy about vamps—and replied, "It's risky at night. The tides hide rocks along the coast." But she wasn't saying "no."

Eric returned her smile, before turning to me, "Sookie, all this traveling has made me hungry. Is there somewhere we could go to feed?" I could feel Corin positively quivering behind me, but I ignored his excitement. "There's a bar just up the way. The barman has royal"—here I was referring to a very expensive syn patterned on the blood of royalty—"and there will likely be donors."

"Shreveport is such a backwater," Eric crinkled his nose in that adorable way he had. I knew it was probably still hard to find royal at home, although I had served it once at a wedding when I was a human barmaid.

Since I could sense Corin about to burst, I said, "Give us an hour to work out my schedule and we can all go."

"By Ros!" Corin hooted happily.

"Excuse me?" Eric said flatly. I could tell Corin was irritating him. Like I said: sass.

"It's a Cornish expression: 'By heath, camp, churchyard, homestead, pool, and head, you shall know most Cornish.' Corin basically was saying 'Yippee.'" I waved a hand dismissively in Eric's direction, "Now scoot. We need to finish up."

We had barely gotten back to business when Bill stuck his head in. Here's the difference between Bill and Eric: Bill apologized for interrupting. "Sweetheart, are you certain you don't want me to stay?" he spoke with tender concern.

I smiled. "Honey, I always want you to stay, but I know you need to work." Bill looked almost disappointed that I hadn't asked him to give up his work for me. "Besides," I added, "I am in very good hands." I looked at Corin and Tegan as I said that, and they both nodded vigorously.

Bill gave Corin a hard look and said, "I am entrusting her care to you," and Corin looked especially serious when he replied, "I will protect her with my life." This exchange brought tears to my eyes—what a pair of sweeties! I crossed the room and gave Bill a tight hug. He looked deep into my eyes, sending all his love through that look, then kissed me thoroughly. That kiss was pure love and pure sex and I felt it in all the right places. I murmured against his cool lips, "Let me know you're safe." He gave me an adoring look and was gone.

I turned to look at my assistants; Corin's fangs had run down a bit at the kiss. Even though he didn't swing that way, to a vamp, sex is sex, and Bill was pretty darned sexy (I also suspected Corin had the hots for Bill). But Tegen looked positively stricken—she knew there was danger lurking, and I knew I was going to have to tell them the details. If for no other reason, they needed to know that I had a dangerous and probably very angry fairy grandfather.

Okay, I thought to myself, let's go for a drink and we can talk a bit about what we think we're facing; maybe Eric's presence and knowledge will help. I said to them, "I don't think we're gonna get much done. Let's go to The Mermaid. Corin, will you get Eric?" Corin leapt out the door quite literally. I took the opportunity to look at Tegan. "Come with us. We can talk more about what's going on." Tegen squinted a little at me, but nodded.

I went back into the main part of the house to get a heavier sweater, and saw Eric putting on his jacket while Corin watched him hungrily. If they would bother to share, those two had a lot in common: Corin wasn't as old as Eric, but his human family had been Cornish fisher folk and seamen (just thinking about Corin and seamen in the same sentence tickled my punny bone) for centuries, and Corin was easily as old as Bill, if not older. Eric wasn't one to suffer fools gladly, and Corin could be foolish around gorgeous men. But I hoped their shared interest in business details would give them more to talk about. I wondered again how long Eric would be staying, and whether or not I'd ever meet my daughter.

I sighed as I pulled the cabled sweater over my shirt—was that a moment of disappointment on Eric's face as I covered up the cleavage I'd been showing?

As I stepped up to the boys (this was an expression I'd picked up from Pam: I wished she could be here and thought I'd have to ask Eric where she was these days), Tegen trailing behind, Eric asked, "Where are we going?" Before I could respond, Corin jumped in, "The Mermaid Inn. It's walking distance up the road and looks out over the cove. The proprietor just loves others. He claims he's seen mermaids—can you imagine? Mermaids?" Corin's voice rose in mocking surprise at the very idea that merfolk existed. It cracked me up, hearing a vamp denying the existence of a supernatural life form, and for most of my human life, I would have been right there with him. Chuckling, I linked one arm through Eric's and one through Corin's and swept us out the door. I did notice Tegen setting the security system…

Feeling both giddy and apprehensive, I shouted to no one in particular, "Let's run!" and took off flying up the street so fast the world was a blur. When I stopped in front of The Mermaid, Eric was leaning casually against the low stone wall, one eyebrow arched almost to his hairline. I knew there was no beating him. I grinned at him and turned to see Corin flying toward us with Tegen in tow—she was athletic, but couldn't keep up with vampire speed—she loved going that fast, and she was also grinning, and panting from the wind. I smoothed my hair and led the way into the bar.

"Sookie!" the proprietor, Jory Bell, hollered, "Where's that dark man of yours?" He was already holding up bottles of syn, to see if he should heat up any. I stepped up to him at the bar and said more quietly, "Actually, we'd all like donors."

"Sure and certain," he said, "the usual?" I turned to give Corin a look and he nodded. Then I asked him, "Do you think… for Eric… Carin?" Corin responded coyly, "Well, if it's not going to be me… "

I turned to Jory, asking, "Is Carin here?" and Jory nodded, before saying, "But not Pen." I pouted a tiny bit at that—Penrice Haines was my favorite blood donor. "I'll just have syn—that'll make Bill happy." Bill was always trying to get me to disdain human blood directly from the source; it was a jealously thing for him. Then I answered Jory's original question, "Bill's gone to London for a few days on business. Jory, I'd like you to meet Eric Northman. Eric is staying with us for… a while." Jory, who absolutely loved supes of all stripes, bowed his head to Eric, rather than extending a hand as he would for a human or shifter. Eric returned his nod, then said to me, "Carin?"

"Carin is one of the town folk who donates blood. Since she lives close by, she has become something of a friend."

I could tell I'd genuinely shocked Eric. Vampires rarely made friends with humans, much less those who were a meal (I was an exception to that rule, much to Bill's chagrin.). While Eric and I were exchanging stubborn faces, Jory had stepped over to a far table, where two young people stood up. The man was a local surfer, blond, tossled, and tan. His name was Kenan, and he was Corin's favorite. Kenan had recently been trying to teach Corin to surf, but Corin was hopeless at athletic pursuits (although he liked to fish—did I say he'd come from a family of fisher folk?). I suspected they found other physical ways to pass the time.

Kenan greeted Tegen—they often surfed together—and he and Corin moved to the back room of the bar; vampire feeding was still not something most humans were comfortable with, so it tended to happen out of sight— although young rebellious vamps loved PDFs, or Public Displays of Feeding, just for the shock value.

The girl who had stood with him was hanging back uncertainly. Eric was that difficult combination of handsome and intimidating, and power radiated off him like a heater. I actually reached for her hand, but she was used to contact with us, so my coolness would not surprise her. I gently tugged her forward and introduced her, "Carin, this is Eric; Eric is staying with me. He just made a long trip from the States."

"America?" Carin said in her thick Cornish accent, "I've wanted to go there my whole life." I smiled at that—she was all of nineteen or so. Since I'd been on the planet for more than fifty years, she seemed awfully young to me. I watched Eric study her appraisingly, inhaling. She was unusually pretty, in a dark Irish way, with almost black hair and eyes, pale skin, and a pouty mouth. She was curvy, but slender, so she looked yummy, and best of all, she was vintage. This meant she had consumed vampire blood; she had briefly dated a vamp, but he had not been the type to settle down.

Eric picked up right away on her special scent, rumbling a little, "He is not your bonded." It wasn't a question. Carin shook her head, but to her credit, she did not look sad about it (I could relate to her situation all too well, having loved Bill and lost him, to my own human stupidity, before he turned me and made me his once and for all). She spoke softly in her thick accent, "I wasn't the one." I saw emotions flit across Eric's face too fast to read. She motioned toward the back with her head, and he followed her out of sight.

I hitched up on a bar stool, accepting my warmed syn and a glass from Jory. "So your man is in London," Jory repeated. I nodded. Usually, Bill and I came in together. "Not for long," I said. Tegen joined me and Jory took her order, before moving down the bar to get someone else a drink.

Tegen smiled at my glass of syn, and said, "Mr. Compton will be proud."

"Yup," I sighed, missing him already. "Why don't you tell him I was a good girl?" I invited. She nodded, then asked, "So what's up?" Jory put her beer down in front of her, and I said, "Let's get a table." Even though The Mermaid was busy as usual, there was a free booth and I thought that'd be perfect—a little more privacy. By the time we'd moved, Eric was back. He never drank more than a sip here, a sip there, but he looked rosier.

Carin and Kenan had returned to sit at the bar, and Jory gave them both a glass of orange juice—I remembered from being a blood donor when I was human that blood banks offered cookies and juice; I don't think either of these donors lost a whole pint tonight, although Kenan's hair was even messier now. Corin appeared, looking smug. Knowing him, something more than feeding had gone on. As a young vamp, I could still get sexual arousal confused with blood lust. I doubted Corin was confused, though.

"Eric," I said, "I owe it to my staff to tell them what's going on."

He started to object, but I was prepared for that, "They will be with me almost every night. Corin is part of my nest. I will have clients around. Unstable vampire clients… "

"And a were," Corin piped up helpfully, although that wasn't actually helpful, since it made Eric frown even more.

"Yes, a were. All of us should be on the same page with what might happen."

Eric's pragmatism kicked in. "Do they know of Rio?" he asked me.

"As much as I know," I said.

Knowing his starting point, Eric related his story much as he had for Bill and me, leaving out all the business stuff. Hearing it all again was still stunning, and Tegen was watching me closely. When Eric related the part about the Fairest being used up from bearing her children, I teared up, and Tegan put an arm around me.

By the time Eric had finished his tale, Jory had called time, and we were all ready to pay for our drinks and to go back to the house.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: if you like story background trivia, I've posted some for my three stories in my profile here; my personal favorite is a link to what I consider the perfect representation of Rio and Eric. If you are enjoying their love, you will like this image! And as ever, thank you for reading my fan fiction and writing about it.

* * *

Back at the house, I lit the fire in the big room. I could tell Tegen was tired, but she wanted to stay, so I put her on the couch with a quilt to bundle up in.

Eric raised his eyebrows and said, "My lover, what is it with you and ugly bed coverings?" He was referring to an especially busy quilt I had in Bon Temps; it had been my Gran's, but it was long-ago threadbare and discarded. This one was new, but equally loud. Instead of addressing that issue, I said with as much patience as I could summon, "Eric. You have just finished telling us that you love my daughter and she has promised to bond with you. I really, truly think you need to stop calling me that."

To his credit, he looked guilty. He mumbled something about it being a habit, although I knew in part he did it get my goat. And Bill's. But I didn't want him to call me that accidentally or otherwise in front of his bonded; a lot of my clients came to me because of issues over blood bonding, and I knew from experience—with Eric—that bonding could be heaven on earth or absolute hell. Either way, it was too complicated to mess around with. Eric had told me that he thought Rio knew he and I had been lovers, but he admitted he had never told her that outright. So I would have much to go through with her, without the love of her life calling me his lover.

I patted the rug beside me so Eric would join me in front of the fire. He and I had shared some important times in front of fires. Or in showers. I stomped hard on that idea—I was just missing Bill. "So. Where are we? How do we prepare for Niall?"

For a long moment, the room was so quiet I could hear the moisture hissing in the fire logs. So softly I almost missed it, Eric said, "There is no way to prepare."

I felt some of my old anger at his matter-of-factness. The psychologist in me scoffed, "There is _always_ something that can be done."

Eric turned on me eyes filled with ancient sadness. I felt my anger drain away as I considered all he must have seen in his remarkably long existence. Instead of replying, he spoke to the fire in a far-away voice. "I had a dream.

"Or perhaps a vision.

"I was fighting Niall. Rio was helping me, pouring her magic into me. But he was made of light, stronger even than the sun. He drained me and burned me, and in my pain and weakness, I… lost Rio."

Eric looked at me. "You have seen Niall's true form? When he stole Rio from you?"

I nodded, feeling numb. The power of the Prince of the Fae was truly an elemental force; if I let myself think about it too long, I could not imagine how I had survived. Perhaps I only did because Niall had not wanted me dead. "Actually," I told Eric, "he showed me his fae self at the restaurant the night you took me to meet him that first time."

Eric looked at me alertly, but it was Tegan who asked, "What did you see?"

"I saw Niall, ageless and radiant, standing in the middle of a burst of brilliant light."

"You could _see_ him?" Eric pounced on my words. I nodded.

"I could never see Rio when she showed herself to me—she was too bright to look at—it was painful and horrifying and…"

"…beautiful," I finished for him.

"Yes," Eric agreed. "Were you aroused?"

I gave him such a look. "Um… no."

"Rio always gave me a hard on," Eric said, and we all sputtered at that. Without paying us any mind, he asked, "Maybe Niall wasn't showing himself at full volume?"

Corin snickered, "Light doesn't have volume."

Eric glared, "This light does."

I gave them both my best "settle down" look.

"So again," I pressed, "how can we prepare?"

"And again," Eric said snootily, "I don't think we can. How do we prepare for a being who controls elemental forces and appears as a blinding light?"

"Well," I snapped, "how do you propose to hang onto Rio?"

"She's _your_ daughter; how do _you_ propose to hang onto her?"

"I don't even know at this point if I _have_ a daughter to hang on to!" I spat at him.

That made Eric hang his head and I was instantly sorry. I reached out to him and this giant, immensely strong vampire crawled into my arms. I held him and rocked him, and he slowly relaxed against me. I heard him inhale and steeled myself for the nuzzling I expected, when Tegan said, "Unless… "

Eric sat up and we both looked at her; her eyes were glowing from the flickering fire. Tegan met our gaze and said in a firm voice, "Unless it's a pitched battle."

We all sat frozen for a second, letting her statement sink in, before Eric scared me half to death by springing to his feet and shouting, "That's it!"

I could feel my whole face frowning over the idea, but before I could raise any objection, Corin asked, "What's a pitched battle?"

Eric was in his element; the warrior in him stalked my living room on the balls of his feet, leaning forward like foes were waiting on the edges of the firelight. "In times of war, there are many types of battle. A siege is most feared. The opponent uses the element of surprise to gain the advantage. Usually many men are killed and injured, and equipment is lost. The opponent may win the battle, but it will have cost him almost as much as those he has attacked.

"A pitched battle is used to head off the destruction and debilitating aftermath of a siege: if those under attack suspect a siege, they may send emissaries to their assailants to propose a planned skirmish, with the winner taking all. The best warriors, the best weapons, the best topography is agreed upon in advance, right down to the time of the fight.

"It is easy to see the appeal, especially for those waiting to be attacked."

Eric looked at Tegen appraisingly. She returned his look measure for measure. Eric surprised me totally when he said to her, "I would have you there."

Had he said that to me, I would have blushed and shuffled my feet, but Tegen grew solemn and nodded. She looked at me, not exactly seeking permission, but hoping for it. "I'd be glad to have you on our side," I confirmed.

"Who is this _'our,'_ Sookie?" Eric demanded.

I had achieved some measure of maturity through my vampire nature, and rather than argue with him, I stated firmly, "Rio is my daughter. There will be _no_ fight for her freedom and her life that I am not a part of." Eric opened his mouth, then shut it with a click.

"So," I plowed on, "How do we get in touch with him? I don't imagine he'll accept a call from me…"

There was a long moment of thoughtful silence, when Tegen yawned a big, noisy face-splitter like a tired puppy and said, "Let's sleep on it and maybe we'll think of

something."

_8888888_

The next evening, Eric was strutting around the house in his teeny tiny swimsuit when I came out to the main room in my fluffy pink robe. He gave me a look of barely concealed disdain, while I gave him one of frank admiration. I was glad Corin wasn't around to scare Eric off with the lip smacking yummy noises he'd no doubt be making.

Before I could ask what was up, Tegen let herself in, wearing a wetsuit and carrying two bodyboards.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me, "I said, "the water must be freezing."

Eric simply said, "Vampire," at me and took both boards from Tegen. Without considering her at all, he selected the best board and left the house without another word.

I gave Tegen a warning look and said sternly, "Be careful out there; I want you back in one piece." She nodded her understanding and turned to the door. To her retreating form I said, "Him, not so much."

I heated up some blood and went up to my office to see if I could spot them from the big window.

Bodyboarding wasn't quite as big in Newquay as it was just kilometers down the road in Perranporth, where dropknee was the style. All these decades later, with boarders Pat Caldwell and Mike Stewart old geezers now, _El Rollo_ was still king. Even I had to admit it was a beautiful move, a bodyboarding trick of riding the lip of a wave and using its power to throw oneself out of the lip, landing on the wave's surface, maybe even doing an air roll. Bill had gotten mighty good at it, making it sort of his trademark. Sometimes, he showed his melancholy at not being able to surf with Tegen and Kenan or watch the international competitions, but there was usually satellite coverage on the internet; Bill had a huge projection system in his office, and sometimes I'd watch with him, just to see the sun glint off the waves.

I couldn't spot my crazy assistant and my crazier houseguest on the beach, so I went ahead and showered and dressed. They were out too long. I imagined them thrown by the waves, smashed on the rocks. I was fretting by the time they got back, but Eric was so dazzling as he dripped all over my carpet that I couldn't really be angry.

Tegen, however, looked blue with cold, and I sent her straight to my shower to warm up, while I handed Eric a towel. I watched the powerful grace of his arms as he leaned over to dry his hair, noticing that he'd acquired a few abrasions out there. I wondered if he needed any help. I stomped on that idea, and invited him to heat himself some syn—"I'll have the lust"—and join me upstairs.

I reluctantly tore my eyes away from Eric and climbed back up to sneak in a little computer time before Corin could hog it all night. Just in case Bill had e-mailed.


	5. Chapter 5

I had already been feeling uneasy, when Tegen answered the land line. I could tell from her expression that I was going to have to cancel appointments again.

What I was not expecting was for her to say, "I'll get him," and leave the room, giving me a "don't you dare" look. I have to admit, since Corin rarely got calls at the office, I _was_ curious.

So of course I was surprised when Tegen returned with Eric. He took the handset and identified himself. His eyes flew to mine and I knew something was wrong. Tegan rushed to me and put her arm around my waist, supporting me. She steered me to my chair. I stared holes in Eric's eyes as he listened and nodded. He wrote something on a pad on my desk, and upside down I could read "235 Euston Road."

Eric rang off and knelt in front of me, his eyes never leaving mine. I could feel the tears starting even before he spoke, ever so quietly, "Sookie, Bill has been hurt."

I choked on a sob. As Eric took my hands between his large ones, I was aware of Tegen moving around the room, already making preparations. I focused on Eric's brilliant blue eyes. He said, "He is at University College Hospital in the burn unit. He is asking for you."

"How bad?" I could barely form the words.

Eric repeated, "He is asking for you." I knew this meant two things: Bill was conscious—he was able to think and speak—and he was severely hurt to the point where he needed me to come to him—likely he needed my blood.

Suddenly, I was all action. I said to Tegen, "I want Corin," and she responded, "Already pinged." She left the office, as did Eric. I followed them, feeling stunned. My beloved was in a London hospital—fortunately one of the most advanced when it came to vamps—and I was going to him. What had happened? Bill wasn't the type to take chances. And burned? How had the sun caught him? Or was it a fire?

I barely knew when Tegen helped me into my jacket. She held out two different magnet cards toward Eric—she knew without asking that he would drive—and he took the card to Corin's X-type hybrid; Bill's BMW was already in London. As Eric shrugged on his jacket and I grabbed my bag, Corin entered from the bedroom area, looking expectant. Eric explained briefly and I vaguely noticed Corin's whining about Eric driving his car, before Tegan told him to hush. She bundled me out to the car, putting me with her in the back seat. Corin set the security and hopped in next to Eric. I was barely situated when Eric drove away from the house, and I saw Corin putting the address Tegen gave him in the GPS.

What was normally a five hour trip became much shorter with Eric at the wheel; I could sense Corin fretting about the strain on his car. Tegen asked Eric the question I could not: what had happened to Bill? Not surprisingly, Eric had no answers, but he grimly asserted that Bill's being burned wasn't an accident.

I could tell all of us had the same thought: Niall had attacked Bill. Skipping over the meaningless questions swirling in my head—_why_ would Niall attack Bill? If Niall was attacking Bill in London, did it mean he did not yet have Rio?—and cut to the chase. "Is it a trap?"

Eric's eyes glowed in the control panel lights. "Most certainly," was all he said. Tegen and I exchanged a look, and I opened my mouth to apologize for drawing her into this mess. Before I could speak, she said, "Doctor, Mr. Northman wanted me to be here, and you agreed." She shrugged in her matter-of-fact way, "So I'm here." I gently patted her face, "But you are so fragile…"

Tegen gave me a small smile that did not touch her serious doe-like eyes. Then Eric surprised us all by saying, "That may be an advantage."

That idea irked me. "Exactly _how_ does putting a human I value highly in harm's way become an advantage?" But it was Tegen who answered, "Because no one would expect I'm a threat."

Eric actually grinned. "I was right to want you with us." Then he proved his warrior experience by adding, "I could be wrong, but _Niall_ may be offering _us_ a pitched battle."

That gave us all a lot to consider, and the rest of the trip was made in silence.

_88888888_

Eric wheeled into the car park, barely slowing down as he squealed into a space. I was out and running for the door before the motor was off, but Eric was in front of me in a vampire second. I pushed him hard, but he was stronger and he held me. He studied my face carefully and read my fury at being prevented from getting to Bill. He said, very quietly, "A trap," and raised his eyebrows in an unspoken question: was I going to be smart about this or was I going to endanger us all? I nodded miserably that I understood and he released me.

He went completely silent, moving without a noise into the eerie light and late night calm of the hospital. Corin and I followed, equally silent. Tegen came behind, her athleticism helping her walk very quietly, for a human. Eric stepped up to the reception desk and spoke with the young supe there—the Brits were a lot more amenable to non-humans working in medical fields, which is a large part of why Bill and I moved here—before nodding toward the stairs. He didn't want us in the elevators.

I heard Eric say something to Corin about security, but I couldn't focus. I could feel Bill's pain in my blood; it had been building the closer to him I got. And now I could clearly pick up a warning coming from him like a lighthouse on a foggy shoreline.

Eric was right. Bill had been attacked.

We swept up the stairs at vampire speed, leaving Tegen in our wake. Eric was first out of the stairwell, surveying the hall. It was empty. I could not smell or hear or sense anything out of the ordinary. I could feel Bill's joy at my being close, and without needing any directions, I went straight to his room, Eric on my heels.

The nurse looked up, startled at our entry, we had come so silently. "I'm his wife," I said, and he instantly stepped aside. I thought I had prepared myself for what I would see—I had seen Bill gut-wrenchingly burned after the bombing in Rhodes all those years ago; half his face had been missing—but I staggered anyway. Eric hissed and Corin, who had been somewhat behind us, taking care of Eric's request, made a noise I'd never heard come out of him. Tegen actually retched and the nurse guided her out of the room. As he turned to come back in, Eric actually blocked his way, murmuring urgently, but quietly. The nurse started to protest, but Eric led him from the room.

All this happened in the background, seemingly on another planet, as I stared at my beloved.

He was laying on some kind of special bed that was covered in what looked like pale green gel. He was naked. Miraculously, one side of him was virtually unharmed, just badly sunburned-looking with a lot of redness and blistering. Into his arm and his leg, and even his chest wall on that side, were butterfly wells attached to bags of blood—I could smell that one of the bags was from a human source, and I mentally cheered the progressive Brits.

It was Bill's other side that was, well… mostly gone.

His hipbone, charred black, was revealed in a curled-back goop of muscle and skin. His leg was also mostly bone, with the denim of his jeans welded into what little skin was left. His toe bones dangled off his foot, held by brittle tendons. His ribs poked through the black and red of his chest and his arm on that side was an oozing mass. Incongruously, his wedding band was still on his crusted finger.

But it was his beautiful face that hit me the hardest; I knew and adored every inch of him, but I couldn't imagine a more perfectly gorgeous face if I had created it myself. One brown eye looked at me, with love and concern for me fighting the agony he was in; the other eye wasn't there, really. Nor was his brow, his cheek, or most of his neck. Part of his ear cartilage had survived and was a raw, screaming red. His teeth, burned to a weird pewter color, showed through the opening where his lips should be.

I moved to Bill's side—the good one—and looked down into his one open eye. "Why didn't you call me?" I asked, referring to a vampire's ability to call his child to him; Bill had never in the entire time of my existence as a vamp done that to me. He tried to speak, but I shushed him, knowing through his blood that he had wanted to protect me. But the hospital knew he would take months to recover, if he could at all, so they had gone against his wishes and contacted me. Thank god.

What they didn't know, because it was one of the few jealously guarded secrets left among vampires, was that our blood was healing. Oh, some supe doctors knew about it, but the general human population was only aware of vamp blood as an aphrodisiac and hallucinogen (if humans knew vampire blood could heal terrible wounds, likely all strides made in the realm of acceptance and understanding would be out the window, and no legislation would be able to protect us from the vigilante drainers wanting our power). An injured vamp needed human blood to heal properly, and vamp blood to heal fast. If Bill wasn't a candidate for my blood, I didn't want to picture what was.

Eric was still out of the room, but I heard Corin's fangs run out as I lifted my wrist to my mouth and bit. I'd never bitten myself before, and I was shocked at the pain—when Bill bit me during sex, it hurt, but it was an erotic pain, and feeling him drink from me was almost orgasmic. Drinking from him actually could be.

I held my wrist to the good side of his mouth, dripping my blood in. A little trickled outside his lips before he clamped on, drawing with shocking force. Bill's eye gazed into mine with fierce love, and I watched the blood lust building in him as he drank. "Corin," I said, "I am going to need a chair."

Corin pulled one over for me; I stood as long as I could, letting Bill drink as much as he wanted. It seemed he wanted it all, but just as I was getting dizzy from his draining, he released me with a bubbling sigh and his eye closed.

Not a moment later, Eric returned with the nurse. He gave me a hard stare and said, "Sookie, you are looking _glamorous_." He put extra emphasis on that last word and I caught his meaning.

I stared at the nurse, commanding him to approach. He came to me and sat in my lap. He was taller than me and a bit stocky, but I moved him easily, lifting his arm to bite him underneath. As I drank, both Eric and Corin began rumbling and I thought, Oh great, I'm in a hospital room full of hungry vampires, and I'm one of them. I almost chuckled, but I was already feeling much better. I licked the nurse's wound to close it, and removed my glamour. He stood up, a bit dazed, as humans do after being fed on, and stepped back to Bill. He looked surprised and said to me, "Mr. Compton seems better. I knew your visit would help, even though he insisted we not call you." Then he checked his watch and said, "I have my break, and I'm feeling quite thirsty." That made as all chuckle, and he left, saying he hoped he'd see us all again.

_8888888_

It was getting close to dawn and we needed to find a place to stay. Tegen had realized she'd be no help at the hospital, so she'd gone to a coffeehouse down the street that was open and had WiFi. When she called us to say there was a hotel nearby with lightproof accommodations, we joined her. She logged off as we approached and gulped down the last of her coffee—I loved the smell of the stuff, having been a big coffee drinker as a human.

She told Eric, "It's a small place, within walking distance, run by a shifter. I got one room with two beds. I figured we should all stay together?" Eric nodded his approval. He said, "If my hunch is correct, Niall will contact us rather than attack us blind. We should be okay for now."

"Why would he give us any advantage?" I wondered.

"He doesn't have Rio," Eric sounded certain. "He either hopes we have her with us or we will tell him where she is." He sounded proud that she had escaped him so far. Then he added, "He knows he can always kill us later."

"So he knows you're here?" I asked.

"Uncertain," Eric said, "But it would have been easy enough for him to learn that."

The coffee shop was closing, an employee staring at us curiously as she trailed around a broom. We'd stood up to leave when Eric went completely, scarily still. His face hardened and paled beyond his usual white. His eyes looked lit from within. I put my hand on his arm, but he shook me off, turning to the window.

I would have known her anywhere. She exactly matched the image from the poster I had memorized, right down to the worn, skinny jeans. I could only stare.

Eric was out on the street before I could see him move, and I watched as he swept her into his embrace, covering her face with kisses, knocking off her hat. Her shining hair tumbled down her back, releasing an aura of magic I could feel through the glass. Both Tegen and Corin sighed out loud.

I was awash in a sea of emotions. Amazement, disbelief, joy, anxiety, and even jealousy—she was stunningly lovely and he was totally in her spell—buffeted me from all sides. But Tegen and Corin each took an arm and shepherded me outside to meet my daughter.


	6. Chapter 6

At first, we could only stare at each other. I had to look up to meet her eyes; she'd obviously gotten her height from Preston, the fae man who'd fathered her. I couldn't really think of anything to say, so I just held out my arms and she walked into them. To the surprise of both of us, Eric wrapped his arms around us as we embraced. I shivered as something magical coursed around us at the connection. My daughter spoke into our huddle, and her voice was like warm honey running down my spine, "He's close by."

Eric immediately stood tall and cast around—his nostrils flared and his blazing eyes pierced every shadow. I was shocked back to the present by my daughter's scoffing laugh, "As if that's going to tell you anything, Northman."

All of us, except Eric, stared at her; our faces showed that we were all thinking the same thing: she calls him _Northman_? But Eric was smiling at her with love obvious in his look—if things hadn't seemed so dire, I think we all would have laughed at our simultaneous shrug.

Tegen put out a hand and introduced herself. Rio took it and smiled warmly, as Tegen said, "We have a room for the day. Should we go there?"

Rio shrugged her own straight shoulders inside a scarred suede jacket and said, "It doesn't matter where we go. Now that he has all of us together, he will approach."

"Tonight?" I asked, wishing my voice had sounded calmer. Just as I said that, Corin asked in a higher pitch than me, "_All_ of us?" But it was Eric's question "Where?" that she answered first: "He's never far from me. Now that he knows you"—and here she looked straight at me and I was astonished by the depthless green of her eyes—" and you" —and she looked at Eric—"have joined me, he'll make himself known."

"He has already done so," Eric scowled. Rio looked puzzled and Eric explained, "He attacked your mother's maker."

Rio looked so angry I thought she might explode. "He hurt your husband," she spoke directly to me for the first time. I nodded in answer, not trusting my voice. She looked directly at Tegen, and said, "Take me to him." I understood exactly what Eric had meant when he said that she was painfully direct: she knew without preamble that Tegen was the only human, and that with dawn coming, Eric, Corin, and I had to go to our rest.

Eric spoke in that commanding voice that brooked no argument, "No. You must stay where I can protect you." Rio stuck her hand deep into his pocket and looked into his eyes. I could feel the lust and love in her, and I was filled with a tenderness that I had rarely felt as a vampire, and only then toward Bill. This was my daughter. She was in love. I knew then that I would do all within my power to protect her, that she might have a chance at what I had.

"Eric." It was all she said. Something in it rocked him visibly. Could this possibly be the same Eric I knew, who'd rather argue than fuck? Going quiet at a word?

He kissed her like she was made of spun glass. Then he got the address of the hotel from Tegen, and strode off down the street without waiting for us. I reached out a hand to my daughter in a most decidedly un-vampire-like gesture—she took it, and I said, "Come to us soon." I hurried after Eric, before I could shed any tears, and Corin trailed along behind. I heard him mumble, "You didn't introduce me…"

_88888888_

"Are you family?" asked the nurse at the desk.

"No," said Rio at exactly the moment Tegen said, "Yes." Rio added, "It is imperative we see him."

"It's dawn," the nurse objected, "and he is asleep."

"His state of consciousness isn't important," Rio said and the nurse raised her eyebrows at that. Tegen thought she felt the air crackling and the nurse looked liked she was trying to speak, but Rio took Tegen's arm and steered her toward Bill's room. The nurse just stood there, opening and shutting her mouth.

Rio opened the door and stepped into the pitch black room. Tegen stared amazed as Rio started glowing with a soft golden light. She looked nervously at Bill, expecting the same revolting injuries that had made her retch and was taken aback to see him looking better… or at least covered mostly with raw red skin. She still didn't want to look at him too closely, but Rio went right up to the bed. She looked carefully at Bill, studying him. Then she laid a long-fingered hand on his head, over the less-burned side that still had hair. Tegen felt that same crackling in the air she had felt out in the hall and there was a humming too; was it in her head? Bill's totally still form seemed to shimmer, like the horizon on a hot, sunny day, and the hum became an ultrasonic whine. Tegen put her hands over her ears and looked around the room, which was filling with a blinding white light. The white light extinguished as fast as it had come, and the whine stopped. She looked back to Rio and Bill and gasped.

Bill lay on the bed exactly as before, still asleep. But he was all there. He was whole, unburned, unmarked, his skin his normal pale white. He had an enormous erection.

Rio turned to Tegen and smiled, before she strode to the door and opened it. The golden glow faded and the two of them walked down the hallway. As they passed the nurses' station, the nurse said, very distinctly, "I'm sorry, but only immediate family can go in." Now it was Tegen's turn to smile as they left the hospital in the growing dawn light.

_88888888_

They reached the hotel just as the sun was coming up. It had been a long, tense night and Tegen couldn't stifle a yawn. They let themselves into the light-proof room Tegen had reserved, and Rio started her glowing thing, or whatever it was she did. Tegen could see that Sookie and Corin were still as death on one bed. Rio pulled off her cowboy boots and jacket and climbed in beside Eric, wrapping her long limbs around him. Tegen sighed, snagged an extra pillow, and made herself as comfortable as she could on a small couch in the corner. She thought she'd never be able to sleep like that, but the next thing she knew, Sookie was saying, "Oh for pity's sake!" and Corin was giggling like a kid.

Tegen rubbed her eyes and stretched, realized the light was on in the bathroom, realized the shower was running, realized Eric and Rio weren't on the bed, realized where they were and what they were doing, and burst out laughing.

Sookie snorted and stood up; she was rumpled from her hours at rest, but none the worse for wear. As she raised a hand to try to smooth her hair, she said to Corin, "Let's go see Bill." Tegen whined a bit, saying, "But I have to pee." Sookie and Corin both shook their heads as if to say "Silly human," before Sookie said, "There's a toilet in the lobby, and you won't be able to use the one here for a while. C'mon." She stuck her face around the bathroom door and said, "See you two at hospital," before marching out a bit too briskly. Corin pouted, "That sounded like fun in there," and Sookie gave him a piercing look, which made Tegen laugh again, as she grabbed her jacket and followed them out.

_888888 _

As he toweled Rio off, Eric said, "I think we succeeded in making them leave." She wrapped him in her arms and the towel, pulling his glorious nakedness to her. She grabbed his mouth in hers, nibbling at his lips. "Good," she said, "I don't think my knees could have held me up much longer."

Eric laughed at that, and carried her to the bed. He lay down next to her, propped up on one elbow. He spent a long moment just taking her in; truly he had not been certain he would ever see her again. Despite the fact that he refused to dwell on the awful prospect, he had been frightened. That he would lose her. That she would die. That he could not go on without her.

She held perfectly still, letting him study her, but his gaze was having a visible effect on her. When he noticed, he bent his head down to take a crinkled nipple in his mouth. "Wow," Rio gasped. He looked at her questioningly. "If I didn't know better, I'd have said your mouth was hot." He smiled, and smiled bigger when she said, "Do that again." He complied.

"No," Rio said raggedly, "I was getting temperature hot confused with awesome tongue-work hot." Eric burst out laughing, and swung her over on top of him. She sat up, straddling his hips, trapping his growing hardness between them. He was in no rush to act on it, still in that state of disbelief that she was there, real, with him. She reached up and pulled all her damp hair across one shoulder, separating it into bunches for braiding. He watched as she flipped each golden hank up and over, twining and pulling with her long, graceful fingers. Without thinking about it, he found himself rocking his hips in time with the rhythm of her plaiting. By the time she had reached the ends and knotted them together, her lovely nostrils were flared wide and her lips were parted.

She held her braid like a paintbrush, stroking the silken tips across his eyelids, his mouth. She brushed under his chin and down his neck, making him shiver, before circling both his own erect nipples. She flicked her hair across them, tickling, and he jerked. His hands grabbed her hips, traveled up her slender ribcage, catching her breasts underneath and pushing them upwards until he could capture her nipples between two fingers of each hand, squeezing gently. She gave an answering jerk.

She lifted her hips off him, and his erection rose to follow her. She flipped her braid behind her back and placed her fingers around him, rubbing him back and forth along her opening, before slowly easing just his head inside. She balanced there, letting them both enjoy the anticipation, then ever so slowly slid down to take him fully. Eric opened his eyes, deep sky blue to her jungle green, and said, "I have missed you." Finding no words, Rio kissed him instead, letting him feel how much she had missed him. As her lips and tongue became more insistent, he started rocking again, bouncing her off a little with each stroke. She bounced higher and higher off him until she fell forward, balancing on her arms and knees above him, barely connected.

Rio held herself propped over him like table, giving him free motion to move up and into her, then down and almost out. His bouncing made her breasts jiggle invitingly and he lifted up to suckle one then the other, back and forth until she was thrashing her head and sing-songing his name.

He pushed all the way into her and cupped her flawless ass in his hands, holding her hard to him as he flipped them over. Her long legs lifted to wrap his waist and he was momentarily shocked by how hot she was—and he meant temperature hot—before his wanting her completely controlled him. He pounded her like he was driving nails, laying railroad tracks, digging ditches, and she answered every slam, her breath huffing out explosively.

When he came, Eric actually thought he saw stars inside his eyelids. He opened them to check, in time to see Rio arch off the bed, the back of her head digging into the mattress, her fabulous mouth fallen open as she cried, "Errrriiiic!" at her own climax.

He lay on top of her—she didn't mind his weight—luxuriating in the feel of her pressed to him, cool skin on hot skin. She murmured into his hair, where it lay long and soft across her face, "No blood?" He nuzzled into her neck, barely scraping her with his fangs, not breaking the skin. He replied, "I could stay here all night, taking you over and over, and I would still want you more." She quivered her ascent. "But," Eric sighed, "We should check on Bill."

"You're worried about more attacks?" He nodded at her question. "That's not Niall's style. He could have killed Bill. But he knows that emotions of attachment and love are powerful; if we are worried, we will be weaker."

Eric looked abashed that he hadn't considered that possibility. "Are _you_ worried?" he asked her. Rio grabbed him with thighs like iron and squeezed him like a python. As he had felt before with her, he was glad he didn't need to breathe. "Do I feel weaker?" she asked, grinning. He grinned back and she popped up, disappearing into the bathroom for their clothes.

She dumped his on him in a heap, then pulled on her jeans. They were soft and almost colorless and fit her like glove. She dropped to the floor to tug on her cowboy boots, and he sat up to watch her, so full of love and lust that he couldn't tear his eyes away. She lifted up on her knees, her unzipped jeans still showing her taut abdomen, and he actually salivated. She started rummaging around in the wad of clothes in his arms until she pulled out her denim shirt. "Don't," he said as she started to pull it on. "Yet." He went down off the bed on his knees, pulling her to him and pressing her against him hard, harder. She made a little squeak and he covered her face and neck with clinging kisses, murmuring with each one, "I love you." She captured his face in her hands and spoke right to his eyes, "And I love you, Eric."

He sat back then to put on his own clothes, while she buttoned up her shirt and tucked her braid up inside her hat.

They left the room arm in arm, nodded a farewell to the shifter at the desk, and emerged into the cool London night. They both inhaled. Eric started to walk, but Rio held him back. "She's beautiful." Eric looked momentarily puzzled, then nodded. "Yes," he said. "And even though she's troubled about all this, "Rio waved a hand at nothing in particular, "she seems happy." Again, he said only, "Yes." He studied her face in the darkness, seeing something of her mother in the set of her jaw: arrogance? Stubbornness? Defiance? But where Sookie was domesticated, Rio never would be.

Eric turned his back to Rio, saying, "Jump up." With no further urging, she threw her arms around his neck, wrapped her legs around his waist, and he flew them the few blocks to the hospital. She was laughing, thoroughly delighted, when they landed in front of the entrance, and as they went in, she kissed him and said, "I want to do lots more of _that!_"


	7. Chapter 7

I could not have been more surprised to see Bill sitting up in a regular bed with sheets, and wearing an ugly hospital gown. He smiled as me and I absolutely melted at the sight. He was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, he was healed, and he was mine.

I rushed into his arms—his complete, gorgeous, muscled arms—and hugged him tight. Then I kissed him and kissed him and kissed him. I had not been this captivated and in love since the night he turned me, back in the Bon Temps graveyard.

"You thought you would lose me," Bill said in his silken voice.

"I thought you would heal, but I knew it would take a very long time and I could feel how much pain you were in."

"It would hurt you if I died," Bill persisted.

My silly, possessive darling! "Yes," I said emphatically. "If you died, I would feel compelled to join you."

Bill's deep brown eyes flashed with alarm at that, and I smiled at him then. "We are just going to have to make sure neither of those things happen," I said to reassure him.

Corin and Tegen had been waiting at the door, so I motioned them in. I sat on the edge of Bill's bed and asked, "What _did_ happen?"

Bill told us: "I was on my way to meet with my clients… my _clients!_ Corin, I need you to contact them. We can't say what has happened; I will think of something to put them off without displeasing them. Then you must go to them for me.

"Anyway, I was almost there, when far off I heard… a thrumming. Like a transformer was about to blow. I could smell danger, but when I looked around, I saw in the shadows the man from Portia's wedding. Niall.

"As soon as he saw I recognized him, he stepped toward me. I looked around, but there were no people close by. He smiled when he saw that and asked me if I hoped to avoid anyone getting hurt. I had no answer for him; I was waiting.

"He asked me if you were with me, Sookie. And when I told him no, he started… ah, vibrating. Quaking. I felt my fangs pop, and I half-turned away, but before I could run—and you know how fast I can run—a blistering light like the sun filled the street.

"I was blinded. I couldn't see Niall. The heat of the light on my face was scorching and smoke was swirling off my clothes. I… I burst into flames and dropped to the pavement, rolling, trying to put out the fire. I could hear feet running toward me and humans shouting. The light went out, and even in my pain, I knew Niall was gone.

"I twisted in agony on the ground like a burning worm. Someone threw a coat over me, extinguishing the blaze. I heard someone say something about hospital, and I tried to speak, but my throat was too damaged. Someone touched me and the pain made me pass out. Then I was here, and you were giving me your delectable blood."

Bill looked at me with gratitude and passion, but worry creased his handsome brow. He said, "Is this what it was like for you when he stole your infant daughter?" I was taken aback by his question; it wasn't something he'd ever asked. "Maybe. He didn't burn me. But it was… more painful than getting staked. Or being turned."

Bill's sculptured lips quirked up in a wry smile, "Oh sweetheart," he said solemnly, looking crestfallen. I stroked his muscled chest under the ridiculous hospital gown—could it actually have tiny motorcars printed on it?—to reassure him, and said, "I'm taking you home."

"Where is your car, Bill?" I spun around at the sound of Eric's deep, delicious voice; I must have been so engrossed in Bill's tale of horror that I never heard Eric approach. He and Rio stood in the doorway. Bill's jaw actually dropped open a bit, and I felt a momentary spurt of jealousy. But when she spoke, Rio's voice was so lovely, it swept any feeling but joy from my mind. She said, "You are Mab's maker?"

We all looked puzzled, and I said, "Mab?"

Rio studied me carefully, taking my measure; I had rarely felt so… examined. "I don't know you. You look so young. I can't call you 'mom.'" I shrugged, but I knew she was right: I'd feel really weird hearing it from her. I had a flash of wondering: if we made it through whatever was to come, if we'd be more like sisters.

Her bright green gaze returned to Bill, questioning, and he nodded. She made a small bow to him then. Bill said to her, "I am completely healed."

"Yes," she said. "You are." Just that. An economy of words. She sure didn't take after me in that regard.

I started rummaging around the room, looking for Bill's clothes, before I realized he wouldn't have any; they wouldn't have survived. I asked Bill if his duffle bag was in his car—he said yes—and told Eric he'd need to bring the car (thank goodness cars didn't use keys anymore, because Bill's would have been nothing but a molten blob welded to his thigh.), so Bill would have something to wear home. Eric turned to Rio, asking, "Want to go with me?"

Her eyes sparkled, "Can we fly?" Eric smiled in answer. I scowled—I don't know how I felt about my daughter flying around with a vamp—but Bill took my hand, shaking his head ever so slightly, and I bit back any comment I was about to make.

When they left, I told Bill and Corin that Tegen and I would go settle up the medical bill, but they were already discussing what to tell the clients and didn't even look up as we went out.

_8888888_

Eric and Rio came into the lobby looking windswept and giddy like children, just as Tegen and I left the bookkeeping area; Bill's BMW was parked in the emergency lane. That was just so Eric.

We returned to Bill's room and, while he was getting dressed, we all agreed that we'd cram into Bill's car for the trip to Cornwall, and Corin would follow us home in his own car after briefing Bill's clients. Corin couldn't suppress his happiness that Eric wouldn't be mistreating his "baby" anymore—honestly, what was it about vamps and their cars (although I'd actually conducted a small study for my thesis showing that it was really only older vamps, whose turning predated the ubiquitousness of automobiles, that craved expensive, high performance vehicles)?

I looked at my gorgeous husband, straight and refined in jeans and a soft shirt, his dark hair a bit tousled in a way that made me want to tangle my fingers in it, and I sighed with relief. He actually apologized to me—he was always so deferential that way—saying, "I am sorry I worried you." I knew he hadn't called me in order to try to protect me from what he'd assumed would be an imminent attack, and yet… "You know," I mused, "something in your blood _did_ call me. I was so antsy; I couldn't settle down. Tegen took Eric bodyboarding and I was just so worried about them. But now that I think about it, it wasn't them I was worrying about…"

Instead of the reassurance I expected, Bill gave me a haughty look: "Tegen took _Eric_ bodyboarding? I am _so _sorry I missed that." Not that many hours ago, he'd had mush for skin and now he was pouting that he'd missed being pulverized by the waves. Incorrigible vamps and their unshakable immortality.

I took Bill's hand, my fingers briefly rubbing his wedding band and said, "Let's get you home."


	8. Chapter 8

We only had a couple of hours until dawn by the time we made the trip home. Even though Bill looked entirely healed, I still wanted to help him in the house. I could sense how relieved he was to be there. I parked him on the couch and went to heat up syn for Eric, Bill, and myself—we'd stopped on the way to get food for Rio and Tegen, and they'd eaten in the car, even though that sort of bothered Bill (he wasn't a fan of watching humans eat).

Once inside and settled, Bill visibly relaxed, "I am glad to be home." In the entire time I'd known him, he'd been a being in search of a place to settle down, and he loved our home as much as I did. Maybe more, since he had to travel so much for his work, and was away for weeks at a time.

I decided to light a small fire, because I knew he loved that. I gave him his bottle of blood and snuggled in next to him, sighing happily. His perfect, wonderful, healed arms went around me, holding me tight. "I love you," he said into my hair. I looked into his dark eyes, and told him the same.

Corin beeped in through the security system—since he lived with us, he had his own code—and smiled a girlishly relieved smile to see us all gathered safely together. I offered to heat him up some syn, but he shook his head, wanting to update Bill about the clients. Soon, they were head to head, discussing business, and I stared at the fire, my thoughts drifting back through all that had happened.

I knew from the moment I had told Eric he could come to see us that my life would get complicated. At least intellectually, I knew there might be trouble. But I was so overcome by the thought I might meet my daughter—and frankly, I had never allowed myself to believe she'd be alive—that none of this had sunk in yet. Now, I'd not only met her, but had to deal with the facts that she was in great danger, possessed immense powers, and was in love with my former lover from my short human life. I'd seen my beloved mate turned into horrifying ruin by my great-grandfather. I had inadvertently plunged my staff into danger. And I was pretty sure I was going to get beat up.

Situation normal for Sookie Stackhouse.

Eric used the opportunity to show Rio their room (I guess, as her mother, I was supposed to be concerned about my daughter staying in the same room with her man while at my home, but she was obviously a grown up, and I couldn't muster the energy), and when she came back, she was carrying a guitar. I found that more than strange, since there had never been a guitar in the house while we'd lived here, but who am I, a vamp and a telepath, to find _anything_ strange? As she made herself comfortable, she unbraided her hair, leaving it full of gleaming ripples that spilled down her back. I sighed at the beauty of my golden daughter.

While we drank our syn, she played for us, and I watched, fascinated as we all fell under her spell. Her voice was low and evocative, and her style of finger-picking was exactly as Eric had described: unusual, even odd. I wouldn't have thought such aggressive playing would result in music so alluring.

I wanted to ask her about a song she had just finished—"This is so beautiful and fierce, this is violence and holy words, and I swear fealty to be kissed and salted by a love extreme"—had she written it about Eric? But the fire popped and fizzed, making us all look around, and my great-grandfather stepped out of thin air into the middle of the living room.

A number of things happened at once: Rio went down on one knee, her head deeply bowed; Eric jumped to his feet snarling; Bill sprang in front of me with a growl; Corin, who looked positively petrified, nevertheless rose to stand with Bill; but it was Tegen who marched up to Niall and demanded, "How did you get in here?"

He glanced at her as he brushed by, stopping directly in front of Rio. He held out his long-fingered, delicate hands to her; she took them and rose to her feet. They were the same height. In the split-second before I regained my voice, I saw that Niall looked exactly as I remembered, even though thirty-odd years had passed since I'd seen him (and that had been a most unpleasant encounter). He was slim and elegantly dressed, with his silver-gold hair pulled neatly back.

It only took a second for my anger to erupt. I pushed in between Bill and Corin and stormed up to Niall. "Exactly what is the meaning of you intruding on us like this?" my voice was shaking with rage and fear.

Niall's metallic green eyes slid away from Rio, and he gave me a blank stare. It made me shiver, but I held his look. "Great-granddaughter," he said in his genteel voice. "You look unchanged from the last time I saw you."

I just snapped. "Except then I was pregnant and oh… I don't know… covered in _blood!_" I was almost screaming at him, my fangs down and my fists balled up. At some unspoken instruction, Bill and Corin each grabbed one of my arms; their grips were like steel manacles.

Niall looked at Bill. His eyes swept up and down, and he said smoothly, "Bill Compton. You look well." If I could have moved, I would have flown at him and torn off his face, his impassive, emotionless face.

Eric spoke then, "It is impolite to enter someone's home uninvited." He seemed surprisingly relaxed, but I knew that was due to his excellent poker face. His body was alert and coiled tight as a spring. Niall's eyes slid over Eric. He said softly, "Eric Northman. I had not thought to see you here."

Eric leaned in, looming over Niall, "Lying does not become you, my lord."

Niall laughed heartily, but none of us joined him. The air in the room was thick with tension. And magic.

A log in the fireplace broke in two with a crack and I jumped. Niall walked to the hearth, took up a poker, and moved the broken log back. I bit back a "thank you," determined not to be hospitable. Niall replaced the poker and dusted his hands against each other. All of his movements were like those of a dancer, graceful and fluid.

He turned again to Rio. "Loriola," he said, his voice commanding. "I have come to take you home."

Rio looked at him for a long moment. Then she bowed her head and said, "My lord, I must decline."

Niall made the tiniest of sighs. "I will not discuss this with you. You are coming home with me to fulfill your duty as Fairest."

"No." Rio looked right in his eyes, his tarnished copper to her depthless emerald; hers were burning, lit from within by a feral flame.

Niall reached as if to take her arm, but Eric stepped in between them. Niall's fingertips brushed Eric and withdrew, a fleeting look of shock crossing his face. Eric hissed and the place where Niall touched him briefly smoked. Rio began to glow, like light was leaking out around her edges. At the same time, Eric said savagely, "She said 'no'!" Niall spoke forcefully, but to Rio, "I will not do this here."

Rio contained her light and spoke smoothly, "What, fight?" Her words belied her anger.

Instead of answering, Niall looked at Eric "It is you. She thinks she is in love with _you._" Eric bowed his head in a single nod. I had no idea what was going on. I spoke hotly, "There will be no fighting under my roof, and yes, they _are_ in love."

Niall gave me a wan smile. "You are mistaken, Great-granddaughter. Loriola does not love… anyone."

"Especially not _you,_" I couldn't stop myself. Bill gave me a yank sharp enough to actually hurt.

Niall smiled again. It was a frightening thing. "Loriola has a duty to the Fae. She was born to be queen to a new kingdom of fae people and she must fulfill her destiny. She will love only her children; she cannot love anyone else. Her love is reserved for the people of the fae. Many fae have given years to train her—I have trained her. I will stop at nothing to see that she returns to her work."

"Then," I said with absolute sincerity, "You will have to go through me."

"Loriola, I see you have assembled an army prepared to defend you. I am sorry it has come to this. I had hoped to avoid harming anyone."

Bill got all fangy and said, "Too late." That almost made me giggle.

Eric spoke with supreme confidence, "I think _you_ will be the one coming to harm. Rio does not wish to go with you, and I will defend her with my life."

"Then your life will be forfeit," Niall said.

We all let that sink in for a second, then Eric said, "What do you propose?"

Niall actually raised an eyebrow at that. He appeared to be considering, but it was obvious that he was prepared for what he was about to say. "I will meet you at a time and place of your choosing. I will come alone. You," and he looked searingly at Rio, "may bring anyone you like. They will, of course, die."

"And if we don't die?" I said hotly, ignoring Bill's agonizing grip on my arm.

Niall looked at Rio and his face softened. "Then I will be dead and whatever you do will be of no concern to me.

"But I assure you, _that_ will not be the outcome."

Niall looked hard at Bill. "Keep her home," he said, "this has nothing to do with her." I was shaking with rage. How dare he attempt to exclude me? Again! His certainty at his own power was infuriating. I could imagine his smooth, silken skin under my fangs, breaking his neck with my hands, rending his body limb from limb. He had almost killed me once, and he had almost killed my Bill; he was not going to take my daughter from me again. If I had to die stopping him, so be it. But somehow, I held my tongue and stayed still.


	9. Chapter 9

Author Note: I've added some more trivia about this story to my profile; keep checking for more story facts, if you like that sort of thing! Thanks as always for reading my writing, and Happy 2009!

* * *

"Call me when you are ready," Niall told Rio. She nodded. He gently cupped her chin in his hand. She flinched and Eric growled low in his throat. Niall did not flatter Eric with a glance as he lifted Rio's face to his; I could see her reluctance to meet his eyes, but when she did, hers were glowing like lava, searing hot. It was Niall's turn to flinch, and I thought, Atta girl!

Niall's voice when he spoke was barely a whisper, "I will hate to spill all your charms."

Rio's voice was cool and smooth, "I will enjoy spilling yours."

Niall stepped back at her words, his face showing no more emotion than it had all evening. "Don't keep me waiting long," he said. And he disappeared like he'd stepped through a doorway cut in the air of the living room.

Almost immediately, we erupted in questions: Eric wanted to know what Niall meant by calling him; Corin wanted to know how Niall could have handled the fire poker, since it was wrought iron and wasn't iron deadly to the Fae; I wanted to know if he had always acted toward her like this; and Tegen asked, "What did he mean by spilling your charms?"

Rio sat down by the fire, next to Eric, who pulled her against him. She answered Tegen first. "The fae do not typically kill each other—there are too few now to spare. But whenever we die, our powers must be restored to the elements." She explained how the bronze charms on her hatband were each awarded to her by her teachers as she had learned to channel and control elemental forces. When he spoke of spilling her charms, Niall was indicating that he would regret returning her powers to the earth. I scoffed at the idea that he could show any remorse at anything, but Rio admonished me, "It was costly to him to share his powers with me. The elemental forces are great, but not infinite. He imbued me with much of his own strength when he trained me to harness all the elements and direct them as one.

"In order to be Fairest, I have to manipulate creation itself. Only a male can teach that ability, but only a female may learn it. Niall knew I would have the power of creation over him, and it was very, very difficult for him to trust me with it. He had to chose between his desire for a Fairest and his fear of being bested."

Never one to mince words, Bill said, "You have betrayed his trust."

Rio replied, "Completely."

Then she turned to me. "Yes, Mab, he has always been commanding and aloof. He is very old and very strong, and it is also how he has held onto his power and his life for so long. He is rarely… tender. He never lets anyone get too close to him." I was remembering when I had first learned about Niall, how I'd longed for a grandfather who would take me fishing. I'd had a lot of growing up to do since then.

Rio answered Eric's question next, "Once we decide on a place and a time, I will summon him to the battle."

"Is it like a vampire calling his child?" I asked.

"I don't know what that's like," Rio said. "There isn't a straight forward explanation. The fae are all connected to each other through the earth's elemental forces. When we harness those forces—especially when we are trained to recognize and read them—we can find each other."

"Oh," I said, understanding. "So when you fell in love with Eric,"—they shared a glowing smile at that—"it was like a signal to Niall and he could follow you?" She nodded vigorously, pleased that I'd understood. I wondered if that was how Claudine used to find me, back when I was human and in danger; she had a way of just showing up to take care of me. I tucked that thought away for later examination.

Corin, not one to be left out, repeated his own question, "How could he handle the poker? I thought iron was deadly to the fae?" I wondered where he'd learned that, and decided I should talk to him about how much time he spent on the internet.

"It is," Rio confirmed. "Pure iron especially so, but even steel is harmful. Many decades ago, the fae worked with humans in medical research fields to develop a number of advances important to the survival of the fae in the modern world. One of those advances was an artificial skin that can be worn on the hands like a sensitive but protective glove—really more of a coating—to prevent accidental contact with iron."

"Oh," I remembered. "Niall pretty much told me about that the first time I met him." I risked a quick look at Eric and saw he was also remembering that night; he had taken a bullet for me—one of many—and I had no doubt he would protect my daughter with his life.

Rio looked surprised at what I'd said. "It isn't something most fae people have access to; they usually have to be very careful out in the world of humans. But Niall enjoys flaunting his secret connections." I thought how very Niall it was that he quite literally had a trick up his sleeve.

"What does iron do to _you_?" Corin asked. Rio looked thoughtful. "I am not full fairy." She gave me a tiny smile. "I can't be any more seriously harmed by it than you can. But it isn't… pleasant to be around. It took me a while to be comfortable driving a car." Eric snorted and Rio raised an exquisite eyebrow at him.

"You drive like a wild thing," he commented dryly.

Rio made a gesture like she was holding a landline handset and said to him in a sarcastic tone, "Hello, Kettle? This is Eric: you're black."

Ignoring Rio's jab, Eric spoke, "We will need iron weapons." His eyes were sparkling like jewels at the thought of fighting with weapons. I shivered, recalling the joy with which he'd sliced off Sigebert's head in the parking lot of Merlotte's.

Rio looked at Eric for a long, silent moment. Then she lifted her hands to her hair, twirling it around and around into a rope. We all watched, intrigued, as she tied it in an overhand knot. She cast around the room, looking for something. She said to me, "Mab, do you have a… oh, a kitchen knife would do."

Since Tegen often used our kitchen to make food for herself, she jumped up and returned with a paring knife with a bronze-capped handle. Rio took it, exclaiming, "This is perfect!" The pure joy in her mellow voice made us all smile.

Rio leaned back into Eric's arms, and he held her. She seemed to sink into herself and the air in the room started crackling. The fire began flaring and sparking. The fire tools were rattling in the rack. I watched Eric in amazement that he could stand being so close to her—my skin felt like it was sizzling and all my hair was standing up—but he only looked determined, his mouth set in a hard line.

The knife in Rio's hand began to, well… grow? It was more like the air around it warped and twisted. It was unnerving and glorious to see an ancient sword erupt from the knife, a bronze blade with a steel edge. Rio twisted in Eric's arms to present it to him. His eyes glowed and he took it reverently. Looking at her in wonder, he asked, "Gram?" She shrugged, but he grinned. I wondered briefly what he'd meant, when Corin spoke a bit poutily, "If I'm going to fight, I want a weapon too."

We were all taken aback at that; Corin was powerful because he was a vampire, but he was such a desk jockey, I couldn't picture him swinging a sword. However, Rio spoke seriously, "What would you like?" Corin cast around the room, then handed her the poker, saying, "A spear."

I barked out a laugh at that, but Corin scowled at me, "My name means 'spear' in Cornish. When I was human, I was the best spear fisherman in my village. I could land a fifteen pound bream through the head from the prow of a skiff on a choppy sea." He was bragging just like he did when he got a difficult client to cooperate, and we all looked suitably impressed.

Rio worked her magic on the poker—I was feeling very itchy by then from all the weirdness in the air, and I wondered how she managed being so serene with all that power buzzing around—and handed Corin a graceful black projectile about eight feet long. We all hit the floor as Corin spun it around his head with astonishing alacrity. "Mind the lamps," I chided from my prone position, and Corin bounded to the door to go out with his new toy. Eric joined Corin, saying he'd go down on the beach and look for a suitable sharpening stone.

After they'd left, Rio said to me, "Mab, I need to ask you and Bill something."

"Okay…" I hesitated, wondering what was coming.

"I don't want Niall to barge in again like that."

I snorted, "Believe me, neither do I!"

"So I'd like permission to tune your house to all of us."

Bill looked very serious and asked, "What does that mean?"

"It means that I would teach the materials in the house to recognize you and Mab. It wouldn't let anyone else in."

Bill looked skeptical and said, "We have the best security system there is," but Rio interrupted him: "And you saw how effective that was against Niall."

I looked at Bill; he looked at me. We nodded. "Okay," I said. "But Tegen and Corin will need to be in on this… tuning, too."

Rio started to object, but I said, "Corin is part of our nest. And I'd trust Tegen with my life—actually I _do_, every day. She comes and goes as she pleases, and she is often here in the daylight." Rio nodded.

Bill asked Rio, "Will the house recognize you?"

"Yes. It will have to, since I will be tuning it."

"And Eric?" Bill looked just a teensy bit sullen.

"Only if you want," Rio said.

I jumped in at that, "Might as well. I guess he's going to be part of the family." That made Rio smile, and I was fast becoming part of her fan club: I'd do almost anything to be rewarded with that sunny smile. But it made Bill even more sulky. It was my turn to smile at him—I gave it a lot of sex and love, and his eyes grew smoky for me. "Honey, "I said, "I don't think Eric will take advantage of it," and _that_ made Bill snort. But he agreed.

"Okay then, "Rio stood up. "Let's do you three now, and I can do Corin and Eric when they get back." She led us outside. We were all curious.

Rio explained, "I'll get the stone and wood and glass and metal and everything prepared, then when I hold out my hand, take it. You don't need to say or do anything." We nodded.

Rio turned to the door and pressed both her palms to it. She inhaled and went very still. The air began to pulse—or maybe it was me—and I felt like there was static electricity in my hair. After a few moments, Rio extended her hand to me and I grasped it. Instantly, I felt an electric tingle across my shoulders and up my arm. After just seconds, Rio dropped my hand, extending hers to Bill. His eyes grew wide when he took her hand, then she dropped his and reached for Tegen. Another few seconds and Rio took her hand off the door. When she looked at me, her eyes were preternaturally bright. "Go in," she said softly. I walked to the door and it swung open for me. That just made me giggle. I had the coolest daughter in the world.


	10. Chapter 10

Corin burst into the house, his hair wildly wind-tossed and his pants' legs wet to his knees. He propped his spear against the wall. Bill asked in a droll tone, "Catch anything?" Corin snorted, but his eyes were dancing. I was reminded yet again how older vamps deny missing their human existences, yet nothing seems to make them happy so much as engaging in the things they loved from those times.

Speaking of which, in swept Eric, also wind-blown and wet. I could imagine him down on the dark beach, swinging his blade at imaginary foes, lunging to topple heads and lop off arms. He was grinning, and his fangs were still down from high excitement. He was glorious to see like that. Rio had been sitting in the kitchen with Tegen, and they had been talking about young women things, among them menstration—Tegen wanted to know in that matter-of-fact way women had nowadays if fairies had periods—and all this talk about blood was getting Bill a little hot under the collar (he occasionally remarked that he missed my own periods, but he wasn't entirely serious. I don't think.) When Eric returned, she rose from the table and stretched like a cat. Eric's eyes glowed at the sight. He looked like he could eat her up, and I'm fairly certain he wanted to.

Eric embraced her and she licked his face, commenting that he was salty. "You should have come along," Eric smiled at her. She shook her head, saying, "Actually, I had a job here." When Eric looked surprised, she said, "I've tuned the house to Mab and Bill and Tegen; I want to do that for you and Corin."

Eric turned to me, "Is that acceptable to you and Bill?" I nodded and Bill said, "Yes." The earlier reluctance he'd shown was gone from his voice. I briefly wondered if having seen how completely Eric was in my daughter's thrall had dialed down Bill's jealousy a notch. Rio took Eric's hand, leading him outside, motioning Corin to follow them.

What was really weird was sitting in the house while Rio did… whatever it was she did. There was an ultrasonic whine audible to Bill's and my vampire hearing, although looking at Tegen, she didn't indicate that she heard it at all. After a few minutes, the door swung open and Corin bounded in, exclaiming, "By ros!" Rio and Eric followed him in, Eric commenting, "By ros indeed."

He pulled a bench in front of the fire and sat with his sword, folding his long legs underneath it. From his pocket, he fished a rock from the beach, and after he spat on it, he drew the rock along the sword blade with a zing. He looked so beautiful doing that, completely at ease and in his element. For a time, the sound of stone on metal was all there was to hear.

When Eric stopped stropping his blade, Bill spoke into the quiet, "I think Land's End might work."

We all turned to look at him. He zipped upstairs with vampire speed, returning with his lap top; he sat next to Eric. Opening it, he called up a screen full of images of the farthest point west on the British Isles—it was a place of wild beauty, with high cliffs and surf-sculpted rocks. Rio inhaled like she could actually smell the sea breeze, and said, "The forces are strong there. I like it." Corin rejoined, "There aren't many people around at this time of year."

Eric studied the pictures intently. After a moment, with that irritating sense of entitlement he exhibited all too readily, he reached over and took Bill's laptop. As I would have expected, Bill didn't object (even though Eric hadn't been his boss for 30 years), and even leaned in, muttering and pointing as Eric clicked around, looking for different views of a particular point of land.

Finally, Eric sighed and nodded, passing the laptop back to Bill. He said, "It looks like a good place, lots of room to move, nowhere to hide."

He looked around at all of us. "Who is in?"

Rio sounded far away when she said, "It is my fight." Eric said, "And mine." She stared at him for a long moment, then nodded, her eyes gleaming.

I said, "This all started with me." Bill started to protest, "Sookie…" but I cut him off. "She is my daughter, Bill," I said, "and other than you, I am the one he's hurt the worst." I realized what I'd said, and gave Rio an apologetic look, but she only shrugged. Then Bill sighed and said, "Then I'm in too." I smiled at him gratefully, a bit shocked by the thought that if I was going to die at Land's End, I wanted him there with me. To watch? To grieve? To protect me? To die with me?

Eric looked at Corin, who motioned his head toward his spear and grinned. Then Eric looked at Tegen, who lifted her chin up high. "Oh no," I spoke forcefully, making a "no way" motion with my hands. Tegen looked me straight in the eye and said, "Doctor, the thing that has always impressed me most about working with you is that when you give your word, you stick to it. Even vampires learn to trust you. And you said about the battle you'd be happy to have me on your side."

I stepped up to my assistant, and without even being aware of it, my glamour started flowing out. Tegen averted her eyes, and in a shocked voice, she accused, "You're trying to take away my choice in this?"

"I'm sorry, Tegen," I said, "but this isn't like a surfing competition, where some people get hurt and some other people win. We may die. _You_ may die. Or even worse, you may live but be forever maimed, and no one left to take care of you."

Tegen looked appalled at that idea, and I thought she would back down then, but Eric said quietly, "Sookie. Of all people telling someone else to be careful and stay away from a fight, I would not expect it of you. I feel that I've visited you in the hospital more often than I have in your home."

"Hmph," I scoffed. "Half the time it was because of something you had me doing." I looked at Tegen and heaved a deep sigh. "He's right; when I was your age, I actually tried to save my boss by throwing myself on the back of a were who was attacking him (Tegen's eyebrows shot up, and I knew if we survived Niall's wrath, she'd be asking me for _that_ story). I'm in no position to stop you. But you must tell me you understand what is at stake."

"What is at stake is your daughter's freedom to live the life she wants," Tegen replied. "It seems like women are always having to fight this particular fight; there's nothing for it. I'm in."

Rio stepped up and hugged Tegen hard. The air around them shimmered a little.

Eric said, "It looks to be a one hundred and five kilometer trip; when should we go?"

Rio responded, "There's no point in drawing it out. Let's get this over with."

"Then," Eric said decisively, "since it is almost sunrise now, we'll drive tomorrow night and get a sense of the terrain, go to ground there, and call Niall the next night."

"Sleep in the ground?" I was amazed. "Does anybody do that anymore?" Bill and Eric exchanged a look that spoke volumes. "Oh I get it," I huffed. "You think I'm just a wee baby vampire and that I can't do it. Well you can both just bite me!"

Rio and Tegen burst out laughing and all three males ran out their fangs for me, offering to volunteer—even Corin, if _that_ can be believed! I just sputtered, and spinning on my heel, I marched off to my room.

_88888888_

She is naked next to me, glorious, salty and fresh like the ocean. She smells of sleep and me and love. I don't want to disturb her—she needs rest—but I want her to wake up so badly it makes me itch. I cannot wait. I am so hard I hurt.

I will just snuzzle under her warm breasts. Ah, Hlin, she smells smoky from last night's fire. I want to bite her drink her eat her tear into her moist flesh _now!_

Be still, be calm. Kiss her softly. She is so warm. So soft, like I remember butter. Like the sueded leather my mother made. Burrow into her honey hair, inhale its magic. Electric whining, taut wiring, pulling, tugging, I'll never last. Shhh, careful. Go slowly. Slowly.

Fingertips barely brushing belly. Like a moth wing. Like moonlight. Control the urge to grab and squeeze. Softly. Tenderly. Gooseflesh—success!

Tickle and tease her golden mound. Curls like the fur of baby animals. Probe a little. Deeper. Feel her heat rising. Feel her flesh swelling, dampening.

There! Her breathing speeds up just a little. Just a bit. It is enough. I need no heart, I have hers, thumping, pushing beautiful hot red blood. Blood for me, blood for me. Brush her throbbing veins with my hair. Sweep the sleep from her skin. That languid stretch, that fluid grace, that sigh.

Her octopus arms her tentacle legs her suction cup mouth her liquid grasping interior. My brain is buzzing, fizzing, slipping, ice and sunlight, sparkles, silken shackles. Help me, my control is eluding me! I can't… I can't… why bother? Sink. Sink into her. Don't hold on. Let go. Ride her to ecstasy. Follow her…

Goddess, she moves like a racehorse. She ripples like water, she burns like fire, she whips like wind. I ache, I throb, I thrash, I sob her name. She is everything. She is the world. She is my love. She is my life. I don't hold back, tipping my essence into her. There are planets and stars and supernovas exploding my love. Shadow and light. Leaves swirling inside my head. A leopard leaps into a tree with a gazelle dangling from its jaws. I bite her—the noise she makes frightens me. Her blood salted sweet like fish mushrooms the forest floor a river splashing over rocks granite grit and glitter beetle rustling in the dirt the pulsing ocean birds flying a kite laughter laughter ice and silence roaring clouds bouncing endless music and motion and stillness turning that smell charging running chasing that smell smashing rending killing and sweet sweet sweet release.

"Eric?"

"Yes, Fairest?"

"Is it time to go?"

"You tell me."

A nod. Her eyes. Deep green like a fjord in the spring. Her mouth, full and ripe and smiling for me, just for me, only for me.

_8888888_

Eric thought we should toast our upcoming ordeal at the Mermaid, so we packed some pillows and blankets in the trunk of Bill's car, along with the sword and the spear, then walked up the street.

When Bill went through the door, I heard Jory shout, "There's my man William!" There was no slipping into the Mermaid unnoticed. "And where's that lovely… ah Sookie, my dear! Two bloods?" Then Jory spotted Corin and Tegen, followed by Eric, and he exclaimed, "It's to be a party, then, is it?" before he saw Rio. Jory's jaw dropped almost to the top of his highly-polished bar and his eyes fairly bugged out of his head. Eric emitted the lowest of growls, but Rio laid her hand on his arm before stepping up to offer Jory her hand.

Jory hastily wiped his own hand before clasping Rio's and shaking it heartily, all the while his face glowing like he'd met his mermaid. Her voice had that extra huskiness to it that I'd come to think of as her own form of glamour when she said, "I'm Loriola, but my friends call me Rio." Jory actually gulped, then said, "I hope by last call we'll be friends, then." She gave him a dazzling grin and asked for a half pint of Strongbow. Tegen got a beer and the rest of us ordered syn.

Bill snagged us a booth and then came to help me ferry the glasses as Jory set them up; I hung back at the last to say, "Jory, she's my daughter, visiting from the States." Jory looked me up and down appraisingly, "Sookie, darlin' you can always surprise me." I gave him my biggest smile, and said, "She's something of a surprise to me too." I left him to ponder that and went to join my supernatural family.


	11. Chapter 11

I'd never slept in the ground before, but Eric insisted it was necessary so that we'd be awake at Land's End when the sun went down. Now I understood why Bill never wore clothes when he went to ground. My hair was full of dirt and I felt nasty; I knew before the night was over, I'd feel nastier, if I was left with feelings at all.

In some ways, I was better off than Tegen and Rio—at least I'd had no choice but to rest—they had to try to get comfortable in the car. We'd brought pillows and blankets and the crazy quilt that Bill and Eric always made fun of, but they hadn't gotten any sleep. Rio looked serene, but there was an audible energy hum around her. Tegen simply looked exhausted. She was feeling the impending battle keenly, aware that she could lose everything, including her own life. Yet she had been insistent about being here. Nothing I had said to scare her had worked well enough to keep her away. I sighed and shook like a dog, scattering dirt off me.

Bill and Eric and Corin were already out of the ground. They were standing naked on the boulders at the edge of the granite cliff, watching the dying light. They were spaced yards apart, each wrapped in their own thoughts. Bill's blood was full of fear: for me, for himself, for the life we knew. I could no longer feel Eric, of course, but I knew he was in total battle lust. I had always thought of Corin as an office geek, but he seemed relaxed yet poised, like a snake.

If this had been any normal evening, I would have been happy as a clam to be presented with the sight of two of the best butts on the planet—and Corin's wasn't anything to sneeze at. Bill felt my admiration through my blood, and turned to give me that smile that made me melt. I wondered briefly if this was the last time I'd see it. He was drinking in my body, feeling the same way, but we were both too worried to be aroused (and for us, that was really saying something).

Bill took me in his arms and we held each other tight. We were trying to bolster each other up through our blood connection, but our apprehension was enormous. I tried to memorize the feeling of his body pressed to mine. I knew that memory would keep me fighting tonight.

Eric turned then to look at us. He had seen all of me naked before, and vampires have perfect memories, so I didn't feel especially self-conscious. The look on his face was more pensive, even wistful, than anything; I felt the same thing looking at him: it would be a terrible pity for all his beauty to be destroyed.

As one, we moved to the car trunk to pull out our clothes. I felt like we should all have some sort of armor, but as Rio had explained, elemental magic would just melt the metal on us. I felt foolish tugging on a bra for a fight I might not survive.

While Eric was pulling on his boots, Rio went to stand on the cliff's edge. His eyes never left her as she stood absolutely still in the breeze off the sea. It seemed like she was absorbing the moist salt air. Her long plait hung down her back; the leather thong with the charms from her hat was woven through the braid. I could feel the ground trembling where I sat on it, pulling on socks and sneakers. Bill and I exchanged a startled glance—was Rio drawing energy out of the earth? Could she somehow store up the power?

Once we'd dressed, Tegen emerged from the car, still wrapped in the ugly quilt. Corin lifted his spear from the trunk and Eric took up his sword.

We all walked to Rio. The closer we got, the louder the air was pulsing and whining. I was amazed when Eric folded her in his arms; perhaps since I hadn't raised her, my maternal instincts were lacking—or maybe my vampire nature interfered—but I would not have been willing to touch her at that moment. However, as soon as Eric did touch her, the vibrating and whining stopped, and I was astonished to hear Eric softly crooning a song as he slowly, gently rocked my daughter: "I hear you singing through the wires, I can hear you through the whine…" She looked at him and there were tears in her eyes. I recognized in the kiss they shared the tenderness and love I felt for Bill, and I wanted us to prevail with all the vampire fierceness, human stubbornness, and telepathic insight I could summon.

"Fairest, it is time," Eric murmured to Rio. She turned to me then, and we hugged. She felt like a willow tree and smelled exactly like the ocean where it pounded on the cliffs: powerful and flexible, salted and sweet. I let go of her reluctantly, and she turned to Bill. They exchanged a look of infinite sadness and I felt tears welling up: neither of them wanted to lose me and I absolutely did not want to lose them. Then she placed a hand each on Tegen's and Corin's shoulder, and they shared small smiles.

No words were spoken. What was there to say?

Rio moved to the cliff's edge until the tips of her boots were supported by air, then she leaned out into the wind's force. If I'd had breath, I would have been holding it. I expected to see her raise up her hands in a goddess-like gesture, but instead, she grabbed the fabric of her jeans in back of her thighs, like she was holding onto someone standing behind her. She leaned even farther out and I gasped as the rocky edge crumbled. But Rio was suspended in the wind like the figurehead on a ship. I had never seen anything so lovely.

And then I was blinded.

The spot where she stood burst into dazzling colorless light. The light was simultaneously dead silent and screaming. I couldn't look at her and my ears rung before I went deaf. I was aware that all of us were crouching away from her in agony, and I knew as surely as I knew my name that we all would not survive tonight's battle. We were puny by comparison to the forces at play. How could we have been so arrogant?

My stunned ears filled with the sound an eagle might make, if an eagle was the size of a continent, then the ice white light disappeared and colored spots danced in my vision like I'd walked the red carpet at the Oscars in front of every flash photographer in the world. As the deep blue dusk returned, I saw Rio step back from the cliff. She said, "Now we wait."

Niall, in his deviousness, kept us waiting just long enough that my anxiety was spinning out of control. How could Eric, Bill, and Corin look so calm? Although actually, I realized, they looked more frozen than calm, so maybe it was just that they had better control over their faces.

Niall stepped out of empty air exactly like he had at the house. I briefly regretted that I'd never know how he did that, before Rio, then Eric, followed by Bill and Corin, all went down on one knee before him. Tegen and I remained standing. Battle or no battle, I was certainly not about to show him any respect, after all he'd done to me. I did notice that only Rio bowed her head—Eric's glowing eyes were practically shooting daggers at Niall's head.

Niall spoke softly. "Loriola, I offer you a last chance to return with me and honor your fate."

Without looking at him, Rio said, "As ever, my Lord, I must decline."

Instantly, the wind whipped up to gale strength and I could barely stand against it. Rio was on her feet, facing Niall without my seeing her move, and Eric was at her side. I was shocked to watch Eric's head rock on his shoulders and a bloody gash gushed across his cheek. Neither Niall or Rio had moved, but Eric howled and lunged. He was swallowed by the brilliant light that Niall became, and Rio shrieked. I clapped my hands to my ears at the violence of it, but just as she exploded into her own starburst, she screamed, "SCATTER!"

Tegen and I ran toward the boulders. The wind buffeted us dangerously close to the edge. As I looked around to see Bill and Corin a football field length away, I was glad I'd thought to tie up my hair as the wind tried to pull it into my eyes. Where was Eric? Had Niall already taken him out as the most skilled fighter in the group?

The two balls of blinding light rolled and tumbled across the sod, leaving charred trails of burnt grass. I could barely make out Corin, poised like he stood on the prow of a boat, heaving his spear at the light. The light screeched—how did light make sound?—and imploded, leaving Niall staggering in its wake, the spear in his thigh, its iron poisoning him. With a thud, Eric landed on the ground; he must have been suspended inside Niall's force. He was horribly still.

Niall managed to wrench loose the spear, but by then, Bill and Corin were charging him. As they both jumped, Rio's light extinguished and I saw her kneel over Eric, running her hands over him. He stirred, just as Niall swung the spear at Bill, slicing his shirt and his arm under it. I felt Bill's pain before I heard him howl, then he and Corin and Niall were a tumbling mass, heading toward the cliff.

With a bang, Rio ignited with the force of the earth's core, separating the vampires before they plunged over the edge. Niall burst into light again, only now he was spinning. The spear catapulted from the light, burying itself up to the hasp in Corin's stomach. I heard Tegen's muffled cry behind me.

The two lights that were Niall and Rio were raging like tornadoes, clashing through each other with the yowling of a million cats. Each time the lights collided, I saw a glowing Niall and a shining Rio buried deep in the dazzle. He looked ancient, almost skeletal, no longer beautiful; she was fierce, feral, and breath-taking. My eyes were burning from the pain of watching them, but I couldn't look away.

I saw Rio's light growing, towering over Niall, bending him backwards; lightning bolts stabbed the ground around them, clods of dirt exploding upward. Niall's light was digging into the ground to escape her and for a second, I thought she would drive him into the earth. Then I saw arms or tentacles or clawed fingers emerge from Niall's light, piercing Rio's—I thought I could hear wailing, but my overloaded ears might have been making that up. The claws gouged at Rio's center, grabbing and flinging chunks of light. My eyes streaming tears, I squinted at the flying bursts of light, and as they fell toward the sea, I swear they each looked like tiny infants. I shook with rage: Niall was tearing all of Rio's unborn babies from her, just as he had torn her from me. She was screaming. She was fading. She was dying.

"NOOOOOO!" I roared and flung myself through the air. I threw my arms and legs around Niall at the center of his light, hanging on like a cowboy on a bronco. Instantly, my skin sizzled, smoked, and stank. I was nauseous and dizzy from pain. Licks of flames crawled along my face and my hair was burning. From far away, I heard Bill yelling, "Sookie! LET GO!" but I hung on tighter, throwing myself backwards, wrenching the two cyclones of light apart. Unable to control my limbs, I thudded to the ground, a solid ball of agony. Niall swirled and towered over me and I knew I was going to explode from the intensity of him, when I heard Eric roar.

He charged the light, lunging with his sword. He stabbed into the light—did I actually hear laughing?—but the blade rebounded, flying past his ear, drawing blood. Thunder clapped with stunning volume and rain poured down like someone turned on God's bathtub. It was ecstasy and agony on my burned skin.

Rio's stricken light was bobbing away from the other, tormenting it, leading it out to sea—was Rio trying to draw Niall's fury? If so, it worked for only a second, because the Niall tornado leapt across the rock cleft, spattering dirt as it raced straight for me. Bill crouched, preparing to vampire-jump us away, when I realized Tegen was running straight at the swirling light.

"TEGEN!" I yelled against the battering gale, scrambling for her as rain sluiced in advance of the storm that was Niall. The turf was churning up mud, splashing high up Tegen's body as she leaned against the wind. Just when I thought Niall would swallow her whole, she whirled the quilt up and around her head, flinging it over the blinding light.

Impossibly, the quilt settled over Niall and he was outlined in human form by the sodden cloth. Eric flew at the quilted shape with a war cry, his sword singing in an arc around his body. He released it, spinning, and it sliced across the quilt at shoulder height, it's honed steel edge severing the quilt in half.

Both pieces of quilt slapped into the mud with the sound of rending trees, and the light leaked out and up in two rapidly diffusing streams. I heard sounds coming from every rock, every blade of grass, and the clouds themselves: the earth was projecting an opera of catastrophic proportions. The streams of light curled with tendrils of what looked like steam, writhing as they dispersed. Something thick and dark, like heavy, black syrup, spattered down on top of the quilt, mixing with the mud and water until it all blended together and soaked into the ground. Sparks flew up from the spot and fell back, sizzling.

The wind and rain stopped, and I took the opportunity to sit down, hard. Bill ran up, his shirt shredded and his arms covered in bloody cuts. He sunk down beside me, hauling me into his arms, where I sagged bonelessly. I started to ask, "Where's Rio?" but my throat wouldn't work. Bill bit his wrist and held it to my mouth; I drank deeply and was filled with hot sparkling love. I offered him my neck, but ever my hero, he shook his head, knowing I was more badly hurt.

I struggled to stand and Bill helped me up. I looked around and above me; the scudding clouds were parting, and there were stars shining through them like diamonds scattered across velvet. How beautiful, I thought muzzily. Then my eyes fell to Tegen, who was cradling Corin, miraculously conscious. Eric was prone on the ground just a few yards away. I pushed out of Bill's arms, running.

"Eric!" I cried, dropping next to him. He lay over Rio's inert body, sobbing, pale pink tears mixing on his face with the darker blood from his cuts. I grabbed him and pulled him with as much force as I could muster, but it was like pulling on a mountain. "Eric," I shrieked at him, "move _away_!" He snarled and shoved me. As I raised my fist to hammer him, Bill jumped between us. "Eric," Bill spoke forcefully, "Sookie can help."

At that, Eric sank back and I bent over Rio. With my vampire senses, I could tell she still had a pulse, but it was faint; she was barely breathing and she was extremely cold. I turned to Eric and said urgently, "You told us you intended to bond with her. Did she agree?" Eric looked at me, his eyes far away. "ERIC!" I shouted at him, and his eyes snapped back to mine. "Did she _agree_?" He looked completely miserable—I had never seen Eric with such a look and I knew absolutely that he loved her beyond any feelings he ever might have had for me, beyond anything he had felt for anyone in his millennium of existence.

"Yes," he mouthed the word like it was foreign.

"Give her your blood."

He looked stricken, uncertain, frozen, stunned. I slapped him. "I can't give her _my_ blood!" I yelled at him. "She is dying! Do it _now_!"

Eric's eyes blazed and he grabbed the sword. He drew it across his wrist. I lifted Rio and supported her head as he pressed the dripping wound to her lips. For a terrible second, nothing happened. Then she swallowed. Her eyes flew open. They burned like molten copper, crazed, and she latched onto his arm with so much force he hissed. I heard her suck and swallow once, twice, three times and I pulled her away. She keened a high pitched animal noise and shuddered. I passed her to Eric, who drew her onto his lap, rocking her. I leaned in close to him and said softly, "Talk to her. Keep her with you." Then I jumped up to see to Corin.

Tegen was supporting his upper body in her arms. She looked dumbstruck by all the blood. My fangs ran out at the smell. "Bill, I need your shirt." He tore it off without question, handing it to me. I motioned him to hold Corin's arms. Both Bill and Corin stared at me, disbelieving. I gritted my teeth—not an easy thing with fangs—and said, "It has to come out." I was remembering a time when I had been staked and Eric had explained to me how I was to be healed. I knew Corin could heal himself, but the spear had to come out first. I also knew if I pulled it back, the notched head would rip him open. I wrapped Bill's shirt around the shaft directly next to Corin's skin. He groaned and his eyes rolled up in his head.

I muttered, "I wish we had some blood." Tegen grinned, "We do!" I looked at her in amazement, thinking the stress had finally overwhelmed her. But she told Bill to hold Corin and she ran toward the car. Good, I thought, she's out of the way. To Bill, I said, "Hold him. Don't let him move."

I grabbed up Eric's sword and before any of them could anticipate what was coming, I whacked it down on the spear shaft. Corin bellowed and passed out. I hammered the sliced-off end with the hilt of the sword, driving it through Corin and out his back. He gushed blood and I pressed Bill's shirt down hard on the wound. As frightened as I felt, it was still all I could do to not suck on the bloody opening in his stomach. Bill's fangs were fully down and I knew he was fighting his own impulses. So I had something to do, I tore off my own shirt, which was scorched and muddy, and pressed it to the exit wound. Guess it was good I'd wrestled on that bra after all.

Tegen bounded back up. Jesus Shepherd of Judea, she had a four pack of syn! She was still grinning as she popped open a bottle and handed it to me, "I thought we might need it after the battle." If my hands weren't so busy, I'd have hugged her—which would have been dangerous, because as much as I liked her, she was human, and all I wanted right now was to bite her— I nodded to Bill to take it, and before he could refuse, I snapped, "I need you strong." He started drinking, and I told Tegen to give one to Eric. Once I saw him drinking, I showed her how to press on Corin's wounds so I could free my hands. I chugged a bottle of syn in record time, popping open the last one and drizzling some in Corin's slack mouth. He choked, then started to drink. By the time the bottle was almost empty, he was holding it himself and no blood was flowing from his wounds.

"Bill, put him in the trunk," I directed, knowing Corin would need to sleep. I sent Tegen with them, so she could wrap him up in a blanket. I crouched beside Eric; Rio's eyes were closed, but her breathing was stronger, and he managed a small smile at me. "Take her to the car," I said gently. He stood, cradling my daughter like she as the most precious thing on earth, and I believed he sincerely thought she was.

As he moved away, I turned to look out to sea. The water was black and frothing on the cliffs. The breeze was cold and salty. The grass rippled around the gouged, charred earth. I could sense the planet was holding its breath, waiting, for what I didn't know.


	12. Chapter 12

We made it back to the house with only minutes before dawn. Bill had driven like a stunt driver and I prayed no police were prowling; if we'd been stopped, there's no telling what might have happened: a car full of exhausted and wounded vamps and a couple of most likely human cops?

Eric took Rio straight into his room; she seemed to be sleeping normally. Bill carried Corin into his room. I turned to Tegen and said, "Get some sleep. If you get up before I do, call Kenan; Corin is going to need lots of blood. See if you can get Carin and Pen, too." Tegen nodded. I could feel the sun making me sluggish, but I held back long enough to say, "And get food for Rio?" Tegen actually gave me a push toward the bedrooms, and I stumbled there in a daze. The last thing I knew before blackness took me was Bill pulling me down on the bed into his arms.

_88888888_

When Eric awakened, he was startled to find Rio's deep green eyes studying him. In the darkness of the sun-proof room, he could see her lovely face: her dark-gold eyebrows framing her long-lashed eyes, her refined nose with just a slight turn up at the tip and the delicate spray of freckles, her full mouth with its plump bottom lip that simply begged to be bitten, the long arc of her jaw down to that chin with a hint of defiance to its set. He reached across to brush a loose lock of hair from her forehead, running its silken length through his fingers. She looked exhausted, wrung out, like discarded things he'd seen tossed up on a beach.

He spoke quietly, "You need to sleep."

She spoke even more quietly; without vampire hearing, he could not have understood her: "He told me about you."

Eric felt his eyes dilate with surprise. "About _me_?"

Rio made an adorable moue, saying, "Oh, not by name or anything. But when he was teaching me about vampires, your customs and culture, your politics and history, he used you as his example. He thought highly of you."

Eric snorted.

Ignoring him, Rio went on, "He liked survivors. He had great respect for beings who could overcome the odds—adapt. If he was able to trust anyone, he trusted you."

"You will not make me regret I killed him by your saying that."

"Not trying to. I'm just realizing the ultimate irony of his indiscretion."

He waited for her, knowing she would say more. "By holding you up to me as a shining example of what he admired most, he was teaching me to love you."

"He said you could not love."

"He _thought_ I could not love. He hoped. But he was a much better teacher than even he himself realized."

"Did he describe my appearance?"

"Not that I remember."

"But you said you recognized me."

"Recognized your spirit."

"My… spirit," Eric said skeptically.

"You doubt you have one?" Rio's exquisite brows arched up. Then she decided to hit him where he'd feel it, right in his pragmatism: "No vampire sneaks up on me—even you. Even though you were totally silent. He'd said you were more vampire than any he'd ever known. I knew by your silence who you were."

Eric's surprise was writ large on his handsome face. Rio chuckled and said, "I'm glad I can still shock you, Northman."

To diffuse his jumbled emotions, Eric asked, "So you fled in order to find me?"

Rio's voice was calm but definite, "I fled—as you say—to find freedom. To have a life. But yes, my hope was that sometime, eventually, our paths would cross."

"And to avoid Niall detecting you, you disdained all sex."

She nodded slightly.

"But you are so… physical… how could you…"

Rio placed her warm fingers across his lips, saying, "I knew you'd be worth the wait."

Eric refrained from springing up and leaping around the room like a young boy after his first orgasm; never had his sexual prowess been so exalted. But he was instantly struck by doubt and said hesitantly, "And was I? Worth the wait?"

Rio thought "what is it with men?" so hard that he read the scorn on her face, but to her credit, she said, "If I wasn't so broken, I'd punish you for that."

"As if," now it was Eric's wounded male pride talking.

"Okay, Northman, that's _it_. No sex for you for the _rest _of the night."

Eric actually chuckled, and said, "Speaking of rest…"

But Rio wasn't done. She said in a mock domineering tone, "Her royal highness requires one more thing—well, two things actually."

"Your every wish is my command," Eric said, but he was completely serious and she knew it. Her expression softened to one of total love. She asked, "Do you still want to bond with me?"

Eric ducked his chin, thinking he might start to cry. His voice was unsteady when he answered her, "With my whole being."

"Whew," she said, sounding genuinely relieved.

"You doubted my promise?" he asked, the wounded feeling returning. She touched his face with her warm fingertips. "No, but I've put you through a lot in a very short time. If you needed a way out, I wanted you to have it."

Eric snuggled up tight to her, waggling his eyebrows, "What I _need_ is a way _in_."

She stuck out her pointed pink tongue at him and he rumbled in his chest. She smacked him gently. "I'm still not done," she intoned imperiously.

"Oh yes… the second thing?" Eric said, a wee tad worried that the _first_ thing she'd requested was the _most_ important thing he could imagine; what would she come up with next? He sighed heavily, "What would that be?"

She looked at him shyly. "Could I have a bath?"

_8888888_

When I woke up, the house was quiet. I lay still next to Bill, drinking him in. He was beautiful and pale next to me, and it all seemed like a terrible dream. But he opened his dark eyes, and the look in them confirmed that we were luckier than luck.

I was still in my battle clothes, what little was left of them. My hair and skin was filthy. "Yuck," I said as I sat up. I was very hungry, but I knew before I did anything, I needed a shower and Bill. I could tell by the way he looked at me that he wanted similar.

We peeled off what remained of our nasty clothes and stepped under the hot water. We each took turns examining each other all over, and were both satisfied that we were healing nicely. My skin was still reddened, but my hair had grown back in while we slept. Bill's cuts and bruises were barely visible. Poor thing! He'd been through a lot of injuries in a very short time. I knew he'd want to feed, even though he rarely did.

Bill took up the soap, always an instant turn-on for me.

Instead of working up some lather in his hands, he held the block of soap to my skin, rubbing it under my breasts and across my hardening nipples—it was unyielding and harsh, for all its slipperiness, and it made me crave his touch. But he kept on with the soap, like he was using it to draw outlines around me. Tracing my ribs, my hipbones, my spine. He even pushed it between my legs, rubbing the square edge along my swelling nub. I was beginning to ache for his hands, wanting to feel his talented fingers on all my tingly places.

I tried to catch his eyes, but he was watching the bar of soap draw lines along my body—I could see the lust flickering in them as my skin shivered with desire. "You have magnificent skin," he observed, in a rather clinical tone that enflamed me. His ability to hold himself apart had bothered me when I was human, but at the moment I just wanted to breach all his walls and tear them to pieces, block by sexy block.

He put down the soap, and with the very tip of one long finger, he began to retrace its path over me, following the slippery soap trail under my breasts, across my nipples—gaaaaah!—around my hips and down between my legs, before slipping up to outline my ribs and shoulder blades.

I had taught him the joys of sexual tension and he had mastered the art of teasing me like a pro; Bill was no slacker when it came to learning new things.

"Please, Bill," I whispered, wanting him to touch me so much that I thought if I spoke louder I might scream. He looked into my eyes then, deep, deeper, his eyes completely dark, but dancing with love and arousal.

He must have sensed that I was about to grab him, because he said, "Not yet."

He put his hands on me then, his fingers along my back and his thumbs over my belly, sliding his hands up and down my slippery skin, never lingering in one spot. Every nerve in my body was following his hands, racing around my body until I thought I'd faint from anticipation. I gritted my teeth to control my voice and exclaimed, "If you don't do something soon…"

But I couldn't finish for the breath-taking arch of his dark brows up almost to his hairline. "What should I _do,_ darling?" he asked, looking maddeningly sincere.

"You know…" I gasped, helplessly, "something…"

Bill stepped right up to me and spoke against my mouth, "Tell me," he commanded, and wanting to be a good mate, I did. In detail.

And like a good mate in return, he followed my directions to the letter.

Although at the end, he added one little extra detail I'd forgotten to mention.

When he was done, I leaned against my beloved, murmuring into his chest, "I never get tired of that."

He tipped up my chin to meet his eyes, saying, "I never get tired of _you._"

I smiled at him, and just for the reassurance, asked, "For real?"

In answer, Bill only said, "Sookie, even when I don't dream, I dream of you." What could I possibly say to that?


	13. Chapter 13

Author's note: this is the last chapter of the last book—there will be an epilogue posted here in a few days, and then my trilogy is all done. I can't honestly say that I won't write any more P?WP? vamp fanfic, because Bill has been putting words in my head for quite a while now, and he may not stop. But what I'm hoping is you will step forward with your own stories for me to enjoy (if you haven't already). I cannot thank you enough for reading and writing. You are simply the best. _Omlowen dha bos!_

_

* * *

_

As we were toweling off, I heard voices out in the main room. Bill and I smoldered at each other; it was a different kind of lust building up in us. He stepped up to me, slipping his hands under my towel, kissing me deeply. He looked into my eyes, saying, "I will want you again after this." All I could do was swallow hard. I put on jeans and a sweater, watching Bill hungrily as he dressed. Holding hands, we went out to say hello to our dinner.

All the humans were sitting at the table. We greeted each other with nods. I noticed Tegen must have made them a meal; I could smell meat and there were the dregs of a spinach salad in a big bowl—I still loved the smell of bacon.

Speaking of delicious smells, Pen Haines had stood as I entered. He was very slim, almost delicate, and the thing I enjoyed about him most were the dark blue veins prominent under his pale skin. I wondered if Pen had fae in his lineage, because his blood was salty-sweet and fabulous (Bill, in his more jealous moments, speculated that Pen would be my first child. I always responded to that idea by saying that I was too busy for a child… ). However, it was plain to anyone watching us that Pen and I had more of a connection than a vamp should to her food. He was looking at me with passion, and he always got hard when I fed from him.

God almighty I was hungry.

I held out my hand to Pen, saying to Tegen, "No Kenan?"

"In with Corin," she said, as she rose to clear the table.

"And Eric?"

"He's up, but he's in with Rio." That made me look at Carin, who obligingly showed me her freshly-bitten neck. We smiled at each other, both thinking about being bitten by the gorgeous blond Viking. Then I grabbed Bill with my free hand and pulled my mate and my food back into the bedroom.

Since Pen wasn't much taller than me, I could stand behind him to feed; standing in front of him tempted me sexually, and I wouldn't mess with Bill's trust like that. I placed my hands on Pen's shoulders and he shivered. "Ready?" I murmured and he tilted his head, stretching his slender neck for me. I looked across Pen's shoulder, my eyes never leaving Bill's as I ran down my fangs into Pen's skin. That ran down Bill's fangs and I could see his hardness outlined inside his jeans. As I drew on Pen's wound, he moaned and Bill's eyes flared with lust—I wasn't completely sure which kind. But my hunger slammed me and for a moment, I couldn't think about anything else.

I was intrigued when Pen held out his wrist to Bill, and I was delighted when Bill stepped closer and took it. He bit carefully—Pen had almost feminine bone structure—and Pen sagged back against me. To support him, I put my arms around his narrow chest and he sighed. I saw a question in Bill's eyes, but as aroused as I was, I wasn't going to do a three-way with company in the house.

I lifted my lips from Pen and licked his wound. Bill did the same with Pen's wrist, "Can you stand?" Bill asked him. Pen nodded and I released him. I gave him a swat on his flat butt to skedaddle him from the room, and he turned to me, his disappointment clear on his sweet face, but I saw the front of his pants was dark, and figured, a bit callously I suppose, that he was already done anyway.

As soon as he closed the door, Bill pounced on me, hurling me down on the bed. My sweater never stood a chance. Bill had dozens of hands, lips, cocks, and fangs, everywhere all at once, and I was ready, ready, ready. My hands couldn't chose between tweaking his nipples or unzipping our jeans. Bill was rumbling, and although this seemed more of a male thing, I might have been rumbling a little myself. I was recently enough human, so I still tended to pant, and Bill always joined in. "Now?" he gasped.

"Hurry," I urged, and I didn't have to say anything else. Bill was on me and in me justlikethat and I was raising my hips to meet every stroke. We were kissing and fucking and laughing like wild things set free from a trap. Just a day ago, we thought we'd be well and finally dead. The completion and freedom we felt was better than Pen's blood or the pleasure we took in each other's arms. As we came, I kissed Bill over and over, murmuring "Thank you, thank you, thank you" into his mouth.

We lay on the rumpled bed for a long time, just gazing into each other's eyes—I could get lost in there, in those dark depths. Bill was smiling sweetly, stroking my hair, and I could feel his love for me and his gratitude that we'd survived. His voice was barely a whisper when he said, "I told you when I asked you to marry me that I knew there would be adventure and even danger, but I am not imaginative enough to have considered this." He moved his arm in a sweeping gesture that I understood to mean battling the Prince of the Fae for my daughter. I replied, "Well, I didn't have it on the calendar until next year, but I wanted to surprise you."

Bill roared with laughter, and the sound must have carried, because Tegen knocked at the door. "Yes?" I called and she stuck her head in to say, "Sorry to disturb you, Doctor, but Rio wants to see you both."

I jumped up, tossing Bill his jeans and putting on mine. I briefly mourned the loss of another sweater, before pulling on one of Bill's too large tee shirts—I loved wearing his clothes, carrying his scent around with me. He stood behind me to pull my hair back in a knot (something he had observed Rio doing and decided he'd have to try with me). I twirled inside his arms and kissed him. I hugged him hard, then left him to finish dressing while I went down the hall to Eric and Rio.

I was happily surprised to see Corin sitting in a chair, looking a bit drawn, but smiling; I could tell by the lack of noise from the front of the house that all the humans but Tegen had left. I called down the hall for her to join us, just as Bill came in. We stood together, looking at Eric, sitting on the bed beside Rio, and Rio herself, still under the covers. She was clean—something I was sure Eric had taken care of—and her eyes were bright spring green. I let out a sigh of utter soul-deep relief: she was all right. I simply couldn't help myself—I started giggling and I just couldn't stop. That made everyone laugh and in a second we were all guffawing like kids.

Rio was gasping and clutching her sides, "Stop! STOP! It hurts, it really does!" but she was the last one to get control of herself. Her eyes dancing, she held out a hand for me to join her and I sat on the opposite side of the bed.

"Mab," she started, but I interrupted her. "Why do you call me that?" We both caught Eric rolling his eyes, before she answered me, "It suits you." I raised an eyebrow at her and she explained, "Mab is an ancient fairy. She _could_ be Irish, but she is also thought to be Scandinavian"—here she gave a coy smile to Eric—

"She's described as a miniature creature who drives her chariot across the faces of sleeping people and compels them to experience dreams of wish-fulfillment."

Now I raised both eyebrows and Eric said, "It _does_ suit you." I made a gesture as if I'd smack him and he cowered comically, grinning.

"Behave," Rio commanded in a mock royal tone and we both waggled our eyebrows at her, setting her off again. Bill sighed heavily, exchanging looks with Tegen and Corin that plainly said "Children!" which set me off too.

Finally, we were all laughed out, drained of all tension. Rio started again, "Mab, we want to get bonded here, with you and Bill. And Corin and Tegen, too, of course," and she smiled at them in turn. I was just staring, when Bill stepped up and rested his cool hand on my neck. "You…" I spoke haltingly, hoping I'd heard correctly, "…want to blood bond _here_?" I looked at Eric for confirmation. He was looking very solemn.

"Sookie," he said, "We would be honored if you… and Bill… would witness our bonding."

I jumped up, and started pacing. "A bonding. That's a big deal… we'll need to talk to Jory about getting in lots of royal—I wonder if he'd close The Mermaid for the night and bartend? Eric, you'll need to call Pam—does anyone even know where she is? This isn't a pretty time of year for the garden, but we can order in flowers to compensate… I wonder if Preston would come? Probably not… oh, it's like a wedding! My daughter's getting _married!_" I hugged Bill. Eric was looking positively panic-stricken, but I waived a dismissive hand at him, and said, "Don't worry, I'll handle everything." I barely noticed him exchange a sour look with Rio before I turned to Tegen and said, "Oh and Tegen? We'll need to…"

"…cancel all your appointments," Tegen finished for me, with a big grin. Her handheld was already out expectantly. For a split second, we all just stared at her, then the room erupted in laughter. Eric kissed Rio, Bill kissed me, Tegen hugged Corin—which he tolerated—and we all lived happily ever after.


	14. Chapter 14

Author's note: This is it. The end of my fairytale. Thanks for going on the ride with me. It's been a blast writing about my favorite vampires and their soul mates. And even though it violates canon, it fills me with glee to knock off Niall (creepy bugger). Or did I succeed?

Oddly, Bill continues to put words in my head, so from time to time, I may post a one-off here under the title "Never Enough." These won't be stories, but impressions of Sookie and Bill, and perhaps Rio and Eric, and maybe even Rio's visits with Sook—I don't know how that will shape up. Thanks for reading and may all our spirits hook up in between the pages of Book Nine!

* * *

I answered the phone. "Hey Mab," Rio's low voice came through.

"You're home safe," I sighed happily.

"Yup. Eric's gone to check on things. It makes me feel antsy that he's away."

"Why didn't you go with him?"

Rio snickered a bit, "I wanted to give him room to be the big, bad vampire for awhile."

"I see," I said. "What's his house like?"

"You weren't ever here?" Rio sounded surprised.

"No, we weren't ever _that_ close." Rio chuckled, taking my meaning. Eric didn't open up his personal life to very many beings. I found myself glad to think he was no longer so alone.

"Well, it's… big. Very clean. Sparse. Huge, very comfortable bed. Immense shower. Tub like a swimming pool. No kitchen to speak of. There's a tiny half-bath with the only toilet. And he has a lot of clothes." I was laughing by the time she stopped describing—it was exactly as I'd imagined. "Fireplace?" I gurgled. "Oh yeah…" Rio sighed.

Then she spoke a bit more seriously, "Eric wanted me to check about shipping his sword."

I was somehow not surprised that he'd had her call about his weapon right away. "Corin got it all boxed up and Tegen took it to the airport to see it off; it's coming express, so I'd guess you'll have it in two days."

"Ah," Rio said. "He'll be pleased."

"Yeah. Boys and their toys." I paused before asking, "How do you feel?" I could remember how wonderful and scary it was to have vamp blood in me—that is, before that's _all_ I had in me.

"Well, Mab, it's strange. I thought I was already at the top of the magic heap. But vampires may just be more magical than even the fae."

That surprised me. "You think?"

"I wouldn't be surprised. I mean, how _does_ everything run right off the blood?"

"I'll have to think about that one." I could feel a research project in the making.

"I gotta say, I'm really feeling the love," Rio admitted.

"You seem surprised."

"Well, one hears stuff about vampires. I mean, what you and Bill have…"

"Isn't as unusual as it once was," I interjected. "I'm only a recent turn, so what do I know of the ways before the Great Revelation? But when we had to be secretive and vigilant at all costs, revealing ourselves or loving anyone—much less bonding—was dangerous. And watching all your loved ones die? Seeing all you knew disappear and having to reinvent yourself every few decades? Learn new customs, gadgets, clothes, ways of travel, ways of _being_? It's exhausting and daunting.

"Some of us, who spent centuries as killers and haters of men, can't make the switch. Those of us who are recent turns are easier to, well… tame. I don't have nearly the troubles mainstreaming as many vamps I've known.

"The things I hear in my practice would break your heart, Rio."

"No doubt," she said. "But every little thing I learn about him makes me wonder why he chose me…"

"He thinks _you_ chose _him_."

"No, Mab, I really had no choice. I felt him coming from a long way off. Before I ever saw him, I knew I'd met my match."

"I think he's met _his_ match." Then I laughed, "Niall must be spinning in his grave at those words."

"I hope so. If he's dead."

I gasped at that. "You think he could have survived?"

"I don't think about it at all, Mab." There was a long silence, then Rio said, "I'm sorry I didn't get to grow up with you."

"Ah," I said, hoping the tears would hold off. "If that had been the case, you wouldn't be in Louisiana, bonded to Eric. And that would make all of us sad."

"Except we wouldn't know. I might've had brothers, or… or children of my own." Rio's voice was a little ragged.

"Mmmm," was all I could think of to say.

"Well. Tell Bill I said 'hi.' And Corin and Tegen, too. And go easy with Pen: it worries Bill."

"I will. Give Eric a kiss for me?"

There was a smile in her voice as she said, "Which kind?"

"I'll let you decide," I teased back, just to hear her sweet laugh.

"And Mab?"

"Yes, Rio?"

"Okay if I pop in from time to time?"

"You come anytime you want. The door is always open for you."

"Quite literally," my golden daughter said, and then—but just for a while—she was gone.


End file.
